According to the Department of Transportation, a new drug testing standard will go into effect on Jan.1 to add four commonly abused prescription opioids to the drug testing panel used for truck drivers and all safety-sensitive transportation workers.
The final rule, published Nov. 13, aligns DOT’s drug testing with the Health and Human Services testing guidelines, which as of January 2017 includes hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone and oxycodone.
In October, President Trump declared opioid abuse a public health emergency and donated his third quarter salary of $100,000 to HHS to fight against addiction.
House Transportation Committee Democrats have urged Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to act quickly on the regulation given high-profile transportation wrecks where opioids were found in workers’ systems.
The final rule also removes methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) from the existing drug testing panel and adds methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA). The DOT will continue to only accept urine testing; although HHS is studying oral fluid testing and hair testing under its guidelines, they cannot be accepted by DOT until HHS adds alternative testing protocols to their rulemaking.
