The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has identified nearly 300 commercial truck and bus
drivers who continued driving after testing positive for drugs or alcohol.The
IDs were made during the FMCSA's annual "Drug and Alcohol Inspection
Strike Force" and the drivers were ordered off the road.
In
addition to citing 287 drivers, the FMCSA instituted enforcement actions
against 128 companies for allegedly failing to adhere to federal drug and
alcohol rules.
An
FMCSA official, speaking on background, told Bus & Motorcoach News that
agency investigators conducted 297 reviews of truck and bus companies from
April 30 through May 11.
The
agency specifically targeted drug and alcohol testing facilities, as well as
motor carriers, which had identified drivers as testing positive for drug and
alcohol noncompliance.
That
information was compared with compliance data in the FMCSA Driver Information
Resource database to determine whether drivers had continued driving after
testing positive for drugs or alcohol.
The
128 companies' principal sin appears to have been that they either hired or
continued using drivers who had tested positive for illegal drugs, they did not
have a drug-and-alcohol testing program, or they did not have a
recovery-and-return program.
The
commercial drivers identified in the probe face the prospect of a monetary fine
and being barred from operating a commercial motor vehicle for failing to
adhere to drug and alcohol regulations.
The
128 truck and bus companies face enforcement actions that can include civil
fines.
"Removing
these dangerous drivers from the roads helps save lives and sends a strong
signal that we will not tolerate negligent commercial drivers and companies
that violate federal alcohol and drug safety standards," said FMCSA
Administrator Anne S. Ferro.
Information
provided by the FMCSA on the investigation did not break down figures, so there
is no way of knowing how many of the companies were motorcoach operators and
how many of the drivers were coach drivers.
End.
