Page 16 - ATR 5 2019 digital

Push and Pull

Scopelitis Transportation Consulting’s Sean Garney shares with ATA Safety
Management Council how to prepare for the new National Drug and Alcohol
Clearinghouse

“I THINK THIS IS A WIN FOR THE INDUSTRY. I THINK
IT'S GOING TO IMPROVE SAFETY. I BELIEVE THAT

One Halloween Day, a very excited IT'S GOING TO REDUCE CRASHES. IT'S GOING TO
kid runs up to the doorstep, instead of TAKE DRIVERS OFF THE ROAD. BUT AS WE SEE IN
being greeted by a resident to dole out A LOT OF THESE RULES, IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A
a fair amount of candy to each little
zombie, princess and superhero, a bowl FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT LIFT FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS
of candy sits there. A sign says, “Please INVOLVED.”
take one.”
Sean Garney recalls the first time —SEAN GARNEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF SCOPELITIS
he may have encountered the honor TRANSPORTATION CONSULTING
system. “I’m a pretty good kid, so I take
one and walk down the stairs. And then
I look around, because the honor sys- real time, but very quick access to drug It wasn’t until 2012 that legisla-
tem is only as good as you, the person testing violation history for drivers. No tion was passed to actually create that
adhering to the honor. And I’m not say- honor system, no loopholes, just confi- database. Arkansas Trucking Association
ing I’m not honorable, but I’m saying I dence that drivers are substance-free on and many of its members were a part of
like candy.” the job. that fight for a national clearinghouse
The honor system is the way When motor carriers began to list drivers who have tested positive
Garney, vice president of Scopelitis complying with the Federal Highway on a pre-employment drug exam.
Transportation Consulting, explains the Administrations’ drug testing rules in It was a bipartisan effort with mul-
way that the trucking industry has been 1994 and trying to avoid hiring drivers tiple industry stakeholders and differ-
handling drug and alcohol use prior to using drugs or alcohol, they identified ent motor carriers coming to the table
the introduction of the Federal Motor the loophole. to craft legislation that is specific and
Carrier Safety Association’s new Drug & If a driver doesn’t disclose to prescriptive and considers multiple per-
Alcohol Clearinghouse. Though drivers employers that he failed a drug test with spectives like cost and driver privacy.
are required to be tested for substance a previous employer, carriers may not “I think this is a win for the indus-
use, loopholes allow bad actors to find know which drivers aren’t eligible to try. I think it's going to improve safety,”
ways to continue to commercially drive. drive and they can evade detection. Garney said. “I believe that it's going to
At the Arkansas Trucking To intervene, a database was rec- reduce crashes. It's going to take driv-
Association’s Safety Management ommended to track all of the viola- ers off the road. But as we see in a lot
Council’s third quarter meeting at tions. Motor carriers could check that of these rules, it's going to require a
the University of Central Arkansas in database before hiring drivers to learn if fairly significant lift for all stakeholders
Conway on Sept. 5, Garney presented they have drug and alcohol infractions involved.”
on the new Clearinghouse and how — positive drug and alcohol tests, refus-
motor carriers can prepare to comply. als to tests, actual knowledge of use, MOTOR CARRIER REQUIREMENTS
What is the Clearinghouse? “Real and return-to-duty status (a process What does that significant lift
time access,” Garney said, though he drivers must complete after violations look like for motor carriers? On Day 1
qualifies that it may not be literally to be eligible to drive again). — January 6, 2020 — the database will

16 Issue 5 2019 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT