White House Approves Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Proposal

A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposal to create an information clearinghouse for drug and alcohol-testing information related to truck drivers has been approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget and sent back to the agency for publication.

OMB said on its website Jan. 27 that the proposed rule from FMCSA would “create a central database for verified positive controlled substances and alcohol test results for commercial driver’s license holders and refusals by such drivers to submit to testing.”

American Trucking Associations has been a supporter of a rule on this issue, which was ordered by the MAP-21 highway-funding law. MAP-21 said the clearinghouse should be created by Oct. 1.

A January report from the Department of Transportation estimated the rule would be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 31 and that people could comment through April 3. Those dates are subject to change.