RANDOM DRUG TESTING RATE FOR 2017
Random Truck Testing For Truckers Will Remain at 25%
The FMCSA says the random drug testing rate for regulated motor carriers will remain at 25% for 2017. Under this arrangement, carriers must randomly test 25% of their drivers during the year.
In 2016, the FMCSA lowered the minimum annual percentage rate to 25% from the current 50%.
The FMCSA estimated an annual savings of $50 million when it announced the 2016 change, and said the decision reflected the sustained low positive test rate (below 1%) over three calendar years from 2011 to 2013.
After the latest announcement for 2017, FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling said in a statement, “We will continue to monitor the data closely, and should the positive rate for drug use rise above the 1% threshold in the upcoming 2015 survey, the national random testing rate requirement will be immediately increased to 50%.”
In 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, the estimated positive usage rate for drugs in 2014 was 0.9%, up from 0.6% in 2012 and 0.7% in 2013.
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