Federal Task Force Pulls 77 Bus, Truck Drivers off Roads for Drug, Alcohol Violations
Last month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s drug and alcohol strike force conducted an examination of safety records of commercial motor carriers, and pulled 77 bus and truck drivers off the road after violations were found. The examinations were conducted between September 8 th and 18 th . This week, the agency announced that safety investigators have conducted examinations of drug and alcohol records of commercial drivers, including bus drivers, school bus drivers, long-haul truckers employed by freight companies, drivers of interstate passenger carriers and hazardous material transporters. The examination was conducted by the agency’s first national drug and alcohol strike force. The 77 commercial bus drivers that had been pulled off the road and could face civil penalties. They are also no longer allowed to operate a commercial motor vehicle and may also have monetary fines imposed on them. The 84 motor carriers will also face enforcement actions for violations, including using drivers who have already tested positive for illegal drugs and for failure to establish a proper drug and alcohol testing program. The agency has not yet identified the 84 commercial carriers that will face action, and says it will make these names public in the days ahead. The drug and alcohol strike force was formed to determine which motor carriers violated drug and alcohol test requirements, and remove drivers who try to avoid federal drug and alcohol testing and reporting standards, by changing jobs from one motor carrier to another. Meanwhile, other commercial motor carrier safety developments are also in the pipeline. In December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will launch a screening program that will ease the process of hiring safe drivers, thus preventing accidents. The pre-employment screening program will allow commercial motor carriers to access data about driver crash histories, and other information. These carriers will be able to use the data while hiring an employee, and will be able to easily determine the safety risk of hiring a potential driver. The program has been in the works since 2002, and enjoys huge support from California truck accident lawyers, truck safety advocates as well as the American Trucking Associations. The program will provide employers access to a potential employee driver’s history of vehicle inspections, driver inspections, any traffic law violations as well as any accidents reported to the Department of Transportation. The crash data will go back five years, and the inspection data will go back over the previous three years. With such data, these commercial motor carriers can easily access a driver’s safety record and make a correct hiring decision. Trucking safety advocates have applauded the launch of the program which has been long overdue. The current system allows drivers with bad driving histories to slip through the cracks. This has been a good week for California truck accident lawyers . Earlier this week, the FMCSA agreed to revise the 11-hour trucking rule that has been traced to so many driver fatigue-related accidents. The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of truck accidents . Please visit our website at trlglaw.com . If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us . The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.
See more here:
Federal Task Force Pulls 77 Bus, Truck Drivers off Roads for Drug, Alcohol Violations