With highway fatalities on the rise after a decade of improved safety efforts, a new study show that more than half of U.S. drivers killed in car accidents had alcohol or drugs in their system at the time of the deadly crash. Read more
Cosco Health Report
Recovery month, which has been observed for 23 years, originally focused on recognition for professionals who treat patients for substance abuse. In 1998 it shifted to celebrating the successes of individuals who had overcome addition and in 2011 it expanded to encompass all forms of behavioral health. Read more
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7-29-12
Over the last four years, some 38,000 would-be truck drivers applying at Schneider National Inc. have had their hair snipped for a drug test. Of those, 1,411 failed. The analysis detected cocaine, marijuana or other banned substances. Yet more than 90% of those 1,411 applicants were able to pass a urine test – the government-mandated, industry standard used to look for drugs.
In a way, that’s not surprising. Molecules of methamphetamine, tetrahydrocannabinol and other drugs remain in urine for only a few days.
They can stay bound in hair for months or longer.
There is a well-known loophole in the federal drug and alcohol testing requirements for commercial drivers that is being exploited by some drug-abusing drivers. When a driver moves from one trucking company to another, some “positive” drug and alcohol test results are not being discovered by the hiring company because these “positive” results are self-reported and not centrally tracked. As a result, the hiring company may not be aware of a driver’s past “positive” drug test results and could be hiring a driver who has not been evaluated, treated and cleared to return-to-duty by a substance abuse professional. Read more
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced in early July, that 287 commercial bus and truck drivers were removed from the roads and more than 128 companies face enforcement actions as a result of the agency’s annual drug and alcohol strike force sweep that occurred from April 30 through May 11, 2012. Read more
On June 4 it was reported that lab-testing company Laboratory Corp of America Holdings (LH.N) will buy smaller rival Medtox Scientific Inc. (MTOX.O) for $27 a share, or about $245 million, in cash.
The deal, which represents a premium of 37 percent over Medtox’s Friday close of $19.70, has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2012.
“This acquisition provides a strong foundation for growth in (the specialized toxicology testing) business, as we build and expand LabCorp’s toxicology center of excellence,” Laboratory Corp’s CEO David King said in a statement.
LabCorp with annual earnings of about $6-billion, saw their shares trading at $82.80 in early morning trade Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. Read more
We have finally made it to June and so many changes have taken place over the last year with surprisingly, so few bumps in the road, so to speak. Since early 2011 we have implemented more new and exciting programs and productivity improvements than over the previous 15 years. One has to wonder what we were doing prior to this. All these changes have been both enlightening and rewarding for the staff and we believe more importantly, a benefit to our valuable clients. Here is just a short list of things we have implemented over the last two years and believe us, the changes are paying off. Read more
Just as the news of a Jet Blue pilot going off the deep end hit the news with the cause described as a “medical condition,” a recent survey from Quest Diagnostics, released in late March concluded that “truck drivers, pilots, rail operators and bus drivers federally mandated to be randomly drug and alcohol tested are testing positive for drugs more often, especially for cocaine and amphetamines.” Read more
May is National Click it or Ticket month and the California Office of Traffic Safety would like to remind you of the importance of buckling up when you hit the road. Taking a couple of seconds to buckle your seat belt will not only save you the trouble and hassle of a ticket and the fine that comes along with it, but more importantly, it could save your life and the lives of your loved ones. Seat belts account for saving more lives than any other countermeasure. Read more
After almost six-months of collaborations with Buckley Productions and some serious translations and layout challenges, we have finally completed this project and the new English/Spanish employee handbooks for drug and alcohol testing are available for sale. Read more
Medford, Ore.—Handing down a decision that carries serious implications to organizations that hire trucking companies, a jury there in early March returned a verdict of nearly $5.2 million to the family of a man killed by a tractor/trailer in 2008. Linhart v. Heyl Logistics LLC, et al., Case No. 10-03100 (D. Or. Judge Panner, Docket No. 230). Attorneys for plaintiff Kelly Linhart argued successfully that trucking broker Heyl Logistics failed to perform due diligence when it hired Washington Transportation to haul goods for bottled water giant Nestle Waters North America. Read more
In late 2009, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidelines for Federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of “medical marijuana.” Also see this link: www.justice.gov/opa/documents/medical-marijuana.pdf. Read more
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