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Crawford bill would 'keep drug-abusing drivers' from behind wheel of big trucks

WASHINGTON — Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., has introduced legislation that the Congressman said would keep drug-abusing drivers from operating large trucks.

The Safe Roads Act of 2011 closes a current loophole that is easily exploited by drug-abusing drivers, he said.

The Safe Roads Act establishes a central repository of drivers’ drug and alcohol test results, which prevents drivers who fail a drug or alcohol test in one state from driving in another.

The legislation is a near-identical bill introduced in the Senate last April by Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.

Both bills mirror a scheduled rulemaking by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to establish a national drug clearinghouse. According to the Department of Transportation rulemaking calendar, the proposed rulemaking is scheduled to be published by the end of 2011.

In addition, Crawford, who is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has been a part of efforts to make sure a national drug clearinghouse is included in the next highway bill.

“The Congressman offered this legislation with the hope it would be included in the final Highway Bill,” a spokesperson for Crawford said. “A national clearinghouse is important to the safety of every driver in America and the Congressman hopes it is accomplished, regardless if it’s accomplished through standalone legislation, FMCSA or the highway bill.”

Crawford called his bill commonsense legislation that protects everyone on the road.

“Creating a clearinghouse to store all test results will ensure drug-abusing drivers cannot share the road with families,” he said. “I am happy Arkansas already uses a central repository and it is time a national system is in place.”

Crawford said The Safe Roads Act is a revenue-neutral bill allowing Congress to authorize the development and deployment of a centralized clearinghouse for drug and alcohol test results.

The bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The lack of a national clearinghouse allows a trucker who tested positive at ABC carrier to apply for a job with XYZ carrier and not report his or her employment at ABC carrier to avoid XYZ carrier from knowing about the positive drug test.

Both the Senate and House bills and the abstract for the proposed rulemaking would remove a driver who had a positive drug screen from driving until they had passed a DOT-approved return to work plan.

Lyndon Finney of The Trucker staff may be contacted to comment at [email protected] .

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