Feds issue 90-day waiver on pre-employment drug screens amid COVID-19 delays

In recent weeks, as businesses began reopening following widespread shutdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic, trucking fleets have struggled to bring back furloughed drivers or hire new ones due to limited pre-employment drug testing availability.

In response, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has granted a temporary waiver from certain pre-employment drug screens applicable to employers of drivers subject to 49 CFR part 382.

This action responds to President Trump’s Executive Order No. 13924, Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery, issued on May 19, 2020, related to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

FMCSA officials acknowledged that the problem has not been that drivers could not pass a test, but rather they couldn’t get access to one. ATA VP of Safety and Compliance Tim Frazier said, “This waiver will help our truckers get back to work faster.”

The FMCSA says it finds that the granting of this waiver is in the public interest because it will facilitate the efficient return of furloughed commercial motor vehicle drivers to the workforce, allowing them to resume critical transportation functions performed by passenger and property motor carriers. In addition, this waiver will reduce the regulatory burden on employers and furloughed drivers subject to the pre-employment testing requirement.

The waiver went into effect on June 5, 2020, and ends on September 30, 2020.

For more information regarding the waiver, click here.