Federal Agency Launching Commercial Driver Clearinghouse
Commercial truck drivers who had a blood alcohol concentration at or above 0.08 g|dL, which is currently the legal threshold for individuals to be considered driving while drunk throughout the nation cause 78 completely preventable deaths and 2,080 completely preventable injuries annually.
To prevent this kind of tragedy from occurring each year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed that a commercial driver clearinghouse be created. It would monitor drivers and ensure that they are not engaging in risky behaviors like drinking and using drugs before or during their employment as a commercial driver. Although federal laws have been in place for years prohibiting these practices, no system has been created to allow trucking companies the ability to find whether or not their drivers or potential hires have been guilty of breaking the laws.