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Even as states continue to make recreational marijuana more easily available, a positive driver test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, takes a driver out of service and affects the trucking industry, which is already dealing with driver shortages, according to a new report released June 5 by the American Transportation Research Institute […]
Drug and alcohol abuse can leave workers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers impaired. As more states have decriminalized cannabis, its growing acceptance has become a special challenge for those employing workers in safety-sensitive positions. Here’s what you need to know about drug testing procedures. Check out our Back to Basics: Drug and Alcohol Impairment […]
On May 2, the Department of Transportation (DOT) adopted a rule recognizing oral fluid drug testing as an alternative to urine testing for safety-sensitive positions in all regulated industries, including aviation, motor carrier, rail, and transit. The final rule (88 Fed. Reg. 27596) becomes effective June 1. The final rule harmonizes DOT and Federal Motor […]
Do you have an effective vehicle fleet safety management program? How safe are the employees, including sales and service personnel, driving around in your company’s cars? Here’s what you need to know about vehicle fleet safety programs. Check out our Back to Basics: Vehicle Fleet Safety article for more information.
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine vehicle fleet safety. Do you have an effective vehicle fleet safety management program? How safe are the employees, including sales and service personnel, driving around in your company’s cars? How confident […]
The EPA issued a decision on March 31, 2023, granting two requests for waivers of preemption regarding four California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations related to California’s heavy-duty vehicle and engine emissions standards. California has significant air quality standard challenges. In order to reduce emissions, the state must seek waivers from the EPA for new […]
The U.S. transportation sector is responsible for one-third of all domestic carbon emissions. In response, the Biden administration released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: A Joint Strategy to Transform Transportation early this year. Developed by the Departments of Energy (DOE), Transportation (DOT), and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the EPA, it is […]
On February 1, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requested additional input on regulatory changes necessary for the introduction of highly and fully automated commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) on the nation’s roadways (88 Fed. Reg. 6691). The supplemental advance notice of proposed rulemaking (SANPRM) revisits issues beyond those covered in advance notices of proposed […]
Cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles are used in all kinds of industries to conduct business. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 1,982 fatal occupational injuries were due to transportation incidents in 2021. Roadways, unlike other workplaces, are not closed environments, and so according to OSHA, preventing work-related roadway crashes requires strategies that combine traffic safety […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine OSHA’s recommendations for motor vehicle safety at work. Cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles are used in all kinds of industries to conduct business. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), […]