Two-week sting faults more than 100 truckers for violating alcohol and drug abuse policies
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced this week that a two-week enforcement sweep has resulted in the removal of 109 commercial bus and truck drivers from the road for violations of drug and alcohol policy.
Our Atlanta accident attorneys have written recently on our Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog about the drug testing issue. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has specific requirements for drug testing, including testing in the wake of serious or fatal accidents.
"If you are a commercial driver or carrier operating in violation of federal drug and alcohol laws, we will remove you from our roadways," said Secretary Ray LaHood. "Parents deserve to know their children are being driven by bus drivers who are drug and alcohol free, and every motorist deserves to feel confident that the drivers of large trucks and buses are safe and sober."
Unfortunately, the issue is more complicated; the federal government continues to permit truckers to work with prescription narcotics in their systems, provided they are under the care of a physician. The same drugs would be refused to an airline pilot. Additionally, while we commend any enforcement effort, we find little solace in the news that a spot check found more than 100 violators.
The crackdown, which ran from June 21 to July 2, will also result in enforcement action against 175 carriers. The government gave no reason why it waited six weeks to issue the results, which were posted on Wednesday.
During the two-week sweep, investigators examined the drug and alcohol records of drivers working for commercial bus and trucking companies, including long-haul truckers, hazardous material transporters, interstate passenger carriers and school bus drivers. The goal was to remove drivers who jump from carrier to carrier to evade testing and reporting requirements.
"FMCSA is committed to ensuring that only safe commercial drivers and carriers are allowed to operate," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "Our annual drug and alcohol strike force is just one of the ways we weed out those 'bad actors' and make our roads safer for everyone."
The more than 100 drivers identified in the sweep could face fines and revocation of their commercial driver's licenses. Both the drivers and the carriers will have an opportunity to contest the charges.
We are curious about whether the FMCSA will follow these cases through to conclusion and report back about how many of these truckers were ultimately prohibited from returning to work. Our Georgia trucking accidents lawyers think it's likely most, if not all, will continue working during the appeals process and will ultimately remain on the road.
If you are involved in an accident with a semi, bus or large commercial truck, contact Finch McCranie LLP for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call (800) 228-9159 or at (404) 658-9070 or contact us through this website.
