Pre-employment investigations for drug and alcohol program violations

On Jan. 6, 2023, the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse will contain three years of data. Employers of CDL drivers must conduct previous employer drug and alcohol inquiries through the clearinghouse .Manual inquiries will no longer be acceptable.

The clearinghouse contains information only about drivers employed by FMCSA-regulated employers. If a prospective employee was employed by an entity regulated by a DOT agency other than FMCSA (e.g. the federal railroad, transit or aviation administrations) during the three -year time frame, employers will need to directly request drug and alcohol violation information from those DOT-regulated employers.

Voters approve amendment legalizing recreational use of marijuana. What does that mean for CMV drivers?

Legal sale of marijuana products could begin as early as February 2023 following the passage of Amendment 3 in the recent statewide elections. Does this development change the treatment of marijuana use under federal regulations for CMV drivers?

According to the FMCSA, it does not.

Marijuana and marijuana products continue to be classified as Schedule I controlled substances. Under the FMCSRs, a person is not physically qualified to drive a CMV if they use any Schedule I controlled substance.

In addition, the FMCSRs prohibit a driver from being in possession or under the influence of any Schedule I controlled substance while on duty. Carriers must not permit a driver to be on duty if they possess, are under the influence of or uses a Schedule I controlled substance. Legalization by a state does not modify the USDOT drug testing regulations.

Legalization by a state also does not negate a positive drug test. Medical Review Officers do not verify a test as negative based on a physician's recommendation of cannabis use or based on a state's legalization of marijuana.

WEB RESOURCES

FMCSA - Medical Qualification FAQs

USDOT - DOT Medical Marijuana notice

USDOT - Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance notice

Take EXTRA care around snowplows this winter

Every year, MoDOT asks travelers to take extra care when driving near snowplows. This year, there's an urgent reason to take that advice to heart. We need every plow operator we have to remain safe and able to fight the flakes.

The department is nearly 30% below the staffing level needed to cover more than one full shift during a statewide storm. During the first statewide storm on Nov. 13-14, there were not enough employees to fill all the trucks on the second shift. That's despite extensive recruitment, requiring many office employees to earn a CDL and drive a plow and shifting employees from less affected counties to those where more snow was expected.

Visit MoDOT's Winter Driving pages to learn more about sharing the road with snowplows and more!

Resolve to retain records

Before you clear your desk and clean out files for the year, it might be a good idea to head to the MCS website and read the online recordkeeping booklet.

Staying on top of IRP and IFTA records and keeping good files can be the difference between a clean audit and a burdensome experience.

There are many tips in the booklet, but here are some basic reminders:

• Keep IFTA records for four years,
• Keep IRP records for three years,
• Save and organize fuel receipts, and
• Back up any electronic record copies.