On June 5, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) granted a 3-month waiver for certain pre-employment testing conditions for drivers recently furloughed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per current regulations, drivers must undergo preemployment testing for controlled substances and have a verified negative test result before performing safety-sensitive functions. Ordinarily, there is an exception to this pre-employment testing.
The exception applies for drivers who have been in a random controlled substances testing program within the previous 30 days and were either (1) tested for controlled substances within the past 6 months or (2) enrolled in the program for the previous 12 months.
The waiver extends the exception period from 30 days to 90 days. FMCSA reserves the right to revoke the waiver in instances where a driver is involved in an accident or an employer fails to comply with the terms.
Information provided by the USDA Grain Transportation Report.
