Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM

The American Trucking Associations is again calling on the United States Congress to help the trucking industry keep drug and alcohol abusers off the road and improve safety on the nation's highways. ATA is urging Congress to take swift action to authorize and fund a national database of drug and alcohol testing results of commercial drivers to make a good testing program even better.

Also, consistent with the Government Accountability Office's recommendations, ATA is asking Congress to ban the manufacture, sale, and distribution of products that help some drivers evade drug tests; provide for penalties for those who use them; and provide the U.S. Department of Transportation with additional authority to improve oversight of specimen collection facilities and practices.

ATA also is urging Congress to direct the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the U.S. DOT to initiate a rulemaking that allows the testing of alternative specimens such as hair. Hair testing allows illegal drug use to be detected for a longer period of time.

ATA is also calling on the U.S. DOT to issue a new regulation creating a tougher audit process and enhanced penalties for new carriers entering the trucking business.