Sponsors (2)
The bill aims to improve road safety and testing accuracy by centralizing positive hair-test records and raising laboratory standards, at the cost of increased compliance expenses and the risk of career and fairness harms to commercial drivers whose past use may be detected.
Commercial drivers of heavy vehicles will have drug-test positives recorded centrally in the FMCSA Clearinghouse, making it easier to identify impaired operators and improve road safety for other road users.
Drivers benefit from standardized, higher-quality hair-testing (CAP forensic accreditation and HHS hair-testing guidelines), which reduces false positives and the risk of wrongful sanctions from lower-quality labs.
Carriers, small businesses, and state/federal agencies get a clear one-year regulatory deadline for FMCSA/DOT rulemaking, providing predictable timing to plan and budget for compliance.
Commercial drivers who test positive on hair tests will be promptly entered into the Clearinghouse, which can limit their ability to obtain or retain safety-sensitive driving jobs and reduce their employment and income prospects.
Hair testing's longer detection window can identify past, non-impairing drug use and expose drivers to sanctions for historical conduct, raising fairness and civil liberties concerns for workers.
Smaller carriers and laboratories may face higher costs to obtain CAP accreditation or adopt approved devices/procedures, increasing operating costs that may be passed to customers or strain small businesses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires motor carriers that operate vehicles weighing at least 10,000 pounds to promptly submit positive hair drug-test results from preemployment or random tests to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Tests must come from CAP‑accredited forensic hair‑testing labs (and follow HHS hair‑testing guidance if available) and use devices cleared under federal medical device law; DOT must issue implementing regulations within one year and update rules to treat these results as actual knowledge.
Requires motor carriers operating vehicles ≥10,000 lbs to report positive hair drug‑test results to the Clearinghouse, using CAP‑accredited labs and cleared devices; DOT must issue regs within 1 year.
Official title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to allow for the submission of positive hair drug test results to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 10, 2025 by Rick Crawford · Last progress July 10, 2025