Issue 1, 2018

36 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch SAFETY DOT Expanded Drug Testing Panel to Include 4 Common Opioids By Lucas Kibby, Business Development & Marketing Manager at Glostone Trucking Solutions A s of January 1, 2018, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) is testing truck drivers and other “safety-sensitive” transportation employees for the semi-synthetic opioids: hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and oxycodone. The drugs are generally taken as pain pills. The DOT has done this because it is their goal to harmonize with the changes made to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Mandatory Guidelines announced early last year. According to the announcement, “Inclusion of these four semi-synthetic opioids is intended to help address the nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse. Transportation industries are not immune to this trend and the safety issues it raises.” What if my driver is already prescribed with one of these drugs? A driver having a valid MD prescription for a medication that contains any of these opioids and reporting that information at the time of testing will help the Medical Review Officer (MRO) in reviewing the results. Having the prescribed amount show positive in the test result will not be considered a positive test. However, if MROs notice an unnatural amount of the drug in a driver’s system, the MRO will likely Lucas Kibby is the Business Development & Marketing Manager at Glostone Trucking Solutions and CleanFleet and is dedicated to helping Glostone and CleanFleet become the thought-leader for Trucking Industry Compliance news and Drug & Alcohol Testing industry news. STEPS TO TAKE NOW TO PROTECT YOUR DRIVERS.