The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's North American Roadcheck inspection spree will take place this May 14-16, with a special focus on two key areas: Tractor protection controls in the air system, and alcohol and controlled substance possession.
As such, CVSA's Roadside Inspection Specialist Jeremy Disbrow, who has 21 years of law enforcement experience and plenty of inspections under his belt, told us what exactly inspectors will look for, and how truckers can ace the annual event.
[Related: How owner-ops can avoid, or ace, inspections during Roadcheck]
Every year, the industry-law enforcement alliance works to come up with two focus areas. This year the consensus, especially on the industry side, Disbrow said, emerged around the FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse database for positive test results and the tractor protection valve. "Two hot-button issues," as Disbrow described them.
First off, "in the U.S.," he said, "we're seeing a lot of drivers becoming prohibited in that clearinghouse, and a lot of it is because of marijuana use."
He chalked that up to the increasing number of states legalizing marijuana. "We want to raise awareness that if you're using marijuana on weekends or off days, even if it's legal in your state, drivers are still popping positive" during tests required of employers and truck owner-operators, he said.
Anything even cannabis-related should throw up red flags for drivers, as there are a number of well-documented cases of drivers failing drug tests for marijuana without ever using the drug. CBD, a related cannabis- and/or hemp-derived drug that can work well for pain management, sent Sandra Irwin spiraling into a convoluted, difficult "Return to Duty" process, where even following all the steps didn't land her gainful employment right away.
