{"id":882122,"date":"2021-10-15T06:44:08","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T10:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=882122"},"modified":"2021-10-15T07:30:43","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T11:30:43","slug":"truckers-warn-federal-regulators-that-drug-testing-bottlenecks-are-leaving-many-unable-to-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/truckers-warn-federal-regulators-that-drug-testing-bottlenecks-are-leaving-many-unable-to-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Truckers Warn Federal Regulators That Drug-Testing Bottlenecks Are Leaving Many Unable to Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftruckers-warn-federal-regulators-that-drug-testing-bottlenecks-are-leaving-many-unable-to-drive%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=882122&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has warned federal regulators that disruptions affecting drug and alcohol testing pose significant challenges for truck drivers, leaving many of them unable to legally drive.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter (<a href=\"https:\/\/votervoice.s3.amazonaws.com\/groups\/ooida\/attachments\/Letter%20Regarding%20Drug%20and%20Alcohol%20Testing%20Disruptions.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) sent to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Oct. 13, OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer said that disruptions affecting FMCSA\u2019s testing system are causing \u201csignificant challenges\u00a0and frustration\u201d for truck drivers.<\/p>\n<p>In order to remain compliant with federal drug and alcohol rules, all truck drivers are required to submit to random testing.<\/p>\n<p>However, multiple issues such as a shortage of\u00a0available testing clinics, a lack of qualified testing staff, and a lack of equipment; driven by\u00a0the continuing impacts of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-covid-19\">COVID-19<\/a> pandemic, are leaving many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-truckers\">truckers<\/a> unable to drive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a driver is notified that they will be tested, they must immediately report to a testing site,\u201d Spencer wrote in his letter. \u201cIf a driver encounters issues at the collection site that prevent the facility from completing the test, such as a lack of testing equipment or qualified staff, they cannot simply leave the site. Even if a facility is unable to complete the required test, the driver cannot immediately leave. This is because leaving the site could constitute a refusal, which has the same consequences as a positive test.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When a facility cannot complete a test, drivers must remain on the site and inform their employer of the issue and attempt to find another\u00a0facility to conduct the test.\u00a0Spencer said those drivers who cannot complete the test due to various reasons lose their\u00a0ability to drive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese situations create challenges and frustrations for drivers, the testing sites, employers, and the consortiums that facilitate testing,\u201d Spencer said.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0OOIDA President said his association has increasingly experienced\u00a0difficulties finding facilities to schedule and complete necessary tests for its members, many of whom have reported facilities lacking appropriate equipment such as\u00a0drug testing specimen cups, due to a shortage of plastics.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4048295\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/10\/14\/Biden_21286695897699-1200x800.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4048295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Biden_21286695897699-600x400-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden delivers remarks on efforts to address global supply chain bottlenecks during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Oct. 13, 2021. (Evan Vucci\/AP Photo)<\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3387240\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3387240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Truckers-lined-up-600x388-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"388\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A trucker protest is seen in a file photo taken in Washington. (Olivier Douliery\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIn other instances, facilities don\u2019t have qualified personnel to administer the test. From what we have heard from testing facilities, these disruptions are due to the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d Spencer said.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0OOIDA President called on the\u00a0FMCSA to issue guidance or \u201cprovide temporary relief\u201d to ensure truck drivers are able to drive and are not prevented from doing so due to\u00a0supply chain issues limiting drug and alcohol testing capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that\u00a0FMCSA has already issued relief\u00a0for other testing challenges. In June 2020, the administration issued a three-month <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmcsa.dot.gov\/emergency\/three-month-waiver-response-economic-consequences-covid-19-public-health-emergency\">drug-testing waiver<\/a> to help motor carriers bring back their furloughed truck and bus drivers.<\/p>\n<p>In July, it issued a discretion determination notice (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmcsa.dot.gov\/sites\/fmcsa.dot.gov\/files\/2020-07\/NEDD%20-%20Random%20Testing%200706%20FINAL.pdf\">pdf<\/a>)\u00a0that allowed the agency to exercise discretion when enforcing certain requirements for the rates and frequency of drug and alcohol testing.<\/p>\n<p>Spencer also asked that the\u00a0FMCSA clarify\u00a0what options are available to drivers who encounter problems accessing testing at facilities and are unable to complete a test.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFurthermore, FMCSA should ensure that all DOT staff responsible for administering the drug and alcohol testing program are aware of these issues and can recognize them when they are reported. At a minimum, FMCSA must alleviate potential confusion that drivers may face by improving communication about these complications,\u201d Spencer added.<\/p>\n<p>Industries across the United States are facing\u00a0acute bottlenecks in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-supply-chains\">supply chains<\/a>, such as material and worker shortages as well as the skyrocketing prices of materials,\u00a0driven by the COVID-19 pandemic,\u00a0further exasperating inflation levels.<\/p>\n<p>In August, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2021-08-02\/a-trucking-crisis-has-the-u-s-looking-for-more-drivers-abroad\">Bloomberg reported<\/a> that\u00a0some companies were turning abroad to countries such as South Africa, Mexico, and Canada, to hire drivers.<\/p>\n<p>In a meeting with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Meera Joshi, deputy administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,\u00a0the trucking industry asked\u00a0the U.S. Labor Department to lower the minimum age\u00a0for interstate drivers from\u00a021 to 18 and give the trucking industry a pass around\u00a0some immigration certification processes to expedite the hiring of foreign drivers.<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden on Wednesday\u00a0announced that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-walmart\">Walmart<\/a>, FedEx, and UPS will expand their efforts to help with the ongoing\u00a0supply chain bottlenecks and\u00a0shortages caused by the pandemic, ahead of the holiday season.<\/p>\n<p>Biden said that the federal government will be \u201cworking\u00a0with stakeholders across the supply chain for a 90-day sprint to the end of the year to troubleshoot and alleviate many of the bottlenecks we can quickly address.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/ttl7dayERL_WEB_KatabellaRoberts.jpg\" alt=\"Katabella Roberts\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"names\">\n<p>Katabella Roberts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She covers news and business for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has warned federal regulators that disruptions affecting drug and alcohol testing pose significant challenges for truck drivers, leaving many of them unable to legally &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-882122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=882122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=882122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=882122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=882122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}