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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
Data released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) gathered from its Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse showed the number of positive driver drug tests through August 2021 increased by nearly 13 percent when compared with a year ago, according to a monthly summary report.
The August 2021 Monthly Summary Report showed jumps in all three of the top drug use categories – marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines – with the overwhelming majority of the positive tests being for marijuana. Here are the number of positive drug tests for the first eight months of 2021 compared with a year ago:
- Marijuana – 21,438, up from 18,252
- Cocaine – 5,913, up from 5,233
- Methamphetamines – 3,526, up from 3,379
- All 14 drug panels – 39,785, up from 35,252
Since the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse went into effect on January 6, 2020, the number of positive driver drug tests has reached 95,740, with positive marijuana drug tests accounting for more than 53 percent of the total number of the 14 different drug panels tested since the Clearinghouse opened.
The monthly report also found that 87,438 drivers had at least one drug or alcohol violation as of August 2021, but only 17,501 drivers had returned to “not-prohibited from driving status” after passing return-to-duty tests, leaving just under 70,000 drivers remaining in “prohibited driving status” after testing positive.
The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is a secure online database that allows FMCSA, employers of CDL drivers, State Driver Licensing Agencies, and law enforcement officials to identify CDL drivers who have violated federal drug and alcohol testing program requirements. To learn more, visit https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov.
The FMCSA is an administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs) with a primary mission to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries. To learn more, visit https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/.
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