Trucking Leaders Seek Reductions In Random Drug Testing of Drivers

img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>The most recent government report on substance abuse among truck drivers showing less than 2% use illegal drugs has led some trucking officials to call for sharply reducing the percentage of drivers that carriers must test for drug use.

Federal law requires carriers to conduct random drug tests on 50% of their drivers unless the overall usage rate falls below 1%, a goal one trucking official said was unattainable.

Two officials told Transport Topics they are considering asking the government to reduce the percentage of drivers that are randomly tested each year, and one said the required wide-scale random testing is inefficient and imposes a huge cost on carriers.

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