There is hope for a trucking industry that has been warning of a major blow to the pool of available drivers resulting from tighter compliance measures by federal regulators: Drivers are more often taking the necessary steps toward returning to duty after getting hit with violations.
That seems to be one of the trends revealed by data compiled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, which went into effect in January 2020.
Of the 55,901 drivers declared ineligible to drive because of one or more violations, almost 7,906 have returned to driving and an additional 7,574 are eligible for return-to-duty testing.
“This means that over 25% of drivers who failed a drug or alcohol test have demonstrated the desire to return to trucking by taking the steps necessary to return to driving,” said P. Sean Garney, vice president at Scopelitis Transportation Consulting. That compares to just over 14% of drivers working toward reinstatement as of June 1, 2020, when the data was first made public.
“It’s great to see this trend continue because it means that there are a lot of committed drivers out there willing to overcome adversity to keep America’s freight moving,” Garney said.
At the same time, however, the number of drivers determined to be eligible for return-to-duty testing but not yet having taken the test has also increased every month (see chart), suggesting that some drivers “may be struggling to find an employer willing to sponsor their return-to-duty testing and are therefore having a hard time returning to trucking.”
The latest clearinghouse data also shows that after the first year in operation, the industry lost — at least temporarily — 47,995 drivers due to drug or alcohol violations recorded in the database. “The good news is that’s only about 1.5% of CDL drivers, beating some of the doomsday predictions of massive driver loss by a long shot,” Garney said.
Some in the industry have been predicting that if hair test results are allowed in the clearinghouse, the percentage of ineligible drivers could increase to anywhere from 3% to 10%.
The latest data also reveals that trucking companies or their designated representatives have made over 5 million queries into the system to verify a driver’s drug and alcohol test status, with 3.3 million of those categorized as federally required annual queries.
“This means that, theoretically, nearly every active CDL driver has had his or her name run through the clearinghouse at least once,” Garney pointed out. “The days of drivers incurring a drug or alcohol violation and avoiding detection and skipping the return-to-duty process are over, and that’s good news for safety.”
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Jose
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Man led
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Kenneth Williams
I’ve been a cdl class a truck driver for 35 years. I’ve never crashed a truck or caused bodily harm to anyone. I’ll be 62 very soon and plan to burn my cdl. So many people on our nations roadways are so incredibly rude. DOT can’t wait to screw you over for any little thing they can find. Smoking weed is finally legal in my state but truck drivers can’t indulge even off duty for fear of testing positive. I’m still quite fit and would be very capable of safely driving for several years. I’m out! Hope the trucking industry can get another guy with my safety record who’s willing to put up with the BS.
Charles
If you can drink off duty than anything else should be fine off duty. Yes doppers and meth heads are a problem but you will rarely catch them. Pot smokers are the safest of the group. Even if one did drive way less likely to kill someone.
David Farkas
This is just another case of the irresponsible few ruin it for the many. I feel for those who somehow can’t work a week at a time without drinking. Clearinghouse seriously is bragging about being something great, but as expensive at it is, as more difficult the work becomes for us drivers, and the more legal weed is becoming, you might find yourselves with alot less trailer haulers, and alot more box truck drivers, seriously, some box truck drivers are making dumb bank and going home everyday.
JB
If I worked 80+ hrs a week at the leading fast food Co I’d make more money than the average line driver and wouldn’t have to put up with all the associated BS. So why would I strive to re-enter the transportation industry when weed is legal for everyone else and they get paid more.
J.D. Wiley
I believe that the next major problem , which I believe to be discrimination , is the requirement by FMCSA for drivers to take expensive medical tests , mine costing $8k . I had a quadruple bypass because my blood vessels had become thin , worn , not a cholesterol problem 10yrs ago . I take high blood pressure medications so I have to do a medical certification every year unlike most who do it every two years . FMCSA has now mandated that I need to take this $8k test every year , nuclear stress test !! I can’t afford that for a job that pays $13 – $20/hr . Honestly I don’t even make that because I’m an on call driver , contractor , for the military . I do this job because I love our military and I’m a patriot . So FMCSA is trying to make it financially impossible for me to keep my CDL , which I’ve worked hard for . I’ve been a CDL driver since 1986 . I have a sqeaky clean MVR , driving record. Keep a clean driving record isn’t easy due to every agency, police DOT insurance industry, look at truckers as revenue for their local and State cash flow. To stay on the road we pay ungodly somes of money. Road tax minimum of $5k per truck per year , our roads should be as smooth as glass !!!
And this agency and or the Government want to take away my source of employment!! Trucking isn’t a job it’s a way of life if your a real trucker !!!! Go to a truck show and tell me we aren’t passionate about our chosen profession!!! Without truckers America stops !!! We work 365 days a year 24/7 !!! Name 3 things that don’t get moved by a truck at some point in time that is consumed by anyone in AMERICA !! And for that matter most of the WORLD !!! Do you know your average grocery store only has enough products for 3days ? Your local fuel station get refill atleast once a week ? In closing , FMCSA it may have its heart in the right place , pun intended, but you know where their head is up and locked !!
Joel L Romo
In full agreement
Rock
I am a trucker and we are underpaid for the amount of work and lifestyle required. I ran for Amazon dedicated for almost 3 years and the only benefit I had was a crappy 401k.
Victoria
The drivers know the law.
Violation of the law has consequences.
The drivers that go through the classes required after a dirty drug screening won’t be working for a major carrier.
15 years in trucking with a major carrier and random drug testing for me. At least once a year. All clean. One was right after I got back from a Maui vacation, before I got behind the wheel.
If one has a issue with drug or alcohol use than do something else for a living or go to rehab. and make it stick.
David
Driving for a major carrier is your horrible decision. You should get paid for having a CDL.
Paul
I agree. The large carriers are killing the small carriers. Slashing rates. It seems that they’re in every aspect of the trucking industry.
Tom Thompson
Unfortunately there are drivers that “ fail “ drug tests without ever using any drugs ever , trust me I am one , my urine was considered substituted due to my specific gravity being .005 points higher than the dot laws allow, the top limit set by the dot is 1.02 while every other medical resource says urine specific gravity can be as high as 1.05.every driver I’ve told about this has no idea what I’m talking about . Everyone should google dot specific gravity and see what this law is .