The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) currently allows commercial motor carrier companies to electronically access driver inspection and crash records. Problem is, no such nationwide system exists for collecting information about drivers who fail drug or alcohol testing — they routinely find employment with another carrier.
Knoxville personal injury lawyers know that unqualified drivers pose a potentially deadly threat to motorists on Tennessee roads. Without complete and thorough access to these truck driver’s records, motorists will continue to face an increased risk of being involved in an accident with a truck driver who is drunk or high on drugs.
In an effort to keep our roads safe and clear of unreliable truckers, Road Safe America is pushing for complete disclosure of truck driving records via the creation of a central clearinghouse. Such a system would make available the records of truckers who have tested positive for drug and alcohol intoxication while operating heavy commercial vehicles. The monitoring of these drivers could help to decrease Knoxville trucking accidents.
Current standards of FMCSA allow commercial trucking companies to view up to five years of crash information and three years of inspection data for any driver in nearly any state through their pre-employment screening program. The goal of this program is to allow carriers to better assess potential hires. Again, the problem is that positive drug or alcohol tests are not part of the system.
The common goal should be to keep our motorists safe by disclosing all potential threats a commercial truck driver might pose to other motorists on the road.
Here’s is a peek at the current pre-employment screening program for commercial truck drivers.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a trucking accident in Tennessee, contact Hartsoe Law Firm, P.C. for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights with our Knoxville injury lawyers and Maryville accident attorneys. Call (877) 472-5657.