Regulator Plans Now Call for Less Trucker Drug Testing

When you get right down to it no one really knows how many people behind the wheels of their vehicles in Ohio are operating impaired or not. At any given time of day, a person could be high on alcohol or some drug. Addictive behaviors don’t tend to run on a schedule.

As we noted in a post last month, this is something that warrants special concern if the person at the wheel happens to be responsible for controlling a semitrailer truck. When big rig trucks are involved in accidents the consequences tend to be the most serious. That suggests that solid regulatory oversight of truck drivers is justified to ensure that they are as fit to perform their work as they can be.

The National Transportation Safety Board is on record as saying that current testing done by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration covers only a small set of impairing drugs and suggesting that testing should be broadened to cover more substances, such as synthetic marijuana. But if a recent announcement by the FMCSA is any gauge, it appears that expansion of testing is not likely to happen.

Indeed, the FMCSA says it will reduce by half the number of random drug tests that trucking companies must give their drivers in 2016. The reason given for the action is that the rate of positive test results recorded in 2011, 2012 and 2013 remained steadily below 1 percent. Regulators say that if that rate rises above the 1 percent mark, they will double the random test rate again.

Those with experience helping victims of commercial vehicle accidents know that the regulatory environment of the trucking industry is already difficult for the average person to navigate. Easing FMCSA oversight might be good news for truckers, but it could pose new challenges for accident victims seeking the fullest level of compensation that might be possible for their injuries. Consulting a skilled Ohio truck accident lawyer should always be a priority after an accident. For representation call the personal injury attorneys with KNR at 1-800-HURT-NOW.