Industry News

Transportation Compliance

May 15, 2018

Helping drivers stay safe on the road, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is enforcing a new Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule to maintain higher driving safety standards. Establishing more extensive ELDT requirements, this new rule improves the safety of commercial motor vehicles (CMV) driving on the roads around you through the implementation of those mandatory training requirements.

Drug and Alcohol Testing

May 07, 2018

Over two million Americans are estimated to have a problem with opioids. According to the latest survey data, over 97 million people took prescription painkillers in 2015; of these, 12 million did so without direction by a doctor. Between 1960 and 2005, consumer expenditures on prescription drugs rose from $2.7 billion to $200.7 billion. Total spending on prescription drugs in the U.S. rose 12.2% to nearly $425 billion in 2015[1]. An estimated 6.4 million people reported misusing psychotherapeutic drugs in the past month, including 3.8 million people who were misusers of prescription pain relievers[2].

Background Check

April 30, 2018

As of January 1, 2018, California became the 10th state to enact ban-the-box laws for both private employers, as well as public. In the other 40 states, some jurisdictions have simply mandated that employers can't consider convictions or criminal history until later in the hiring process. Under the Fair Chance Act, these laws give applicants a fair opportunity to be considered for a job by preventing employers from excluding applicants with a criminal history from the beginning of the hiring process. By eliminating questions regarding criminal history from the application, employers instead are encouraged to choose a candidate based on their first impression, qualifications, and skills for the job.

Drug and Alcohol Testing

April 24, 2018

The differences in marijuana legalization vary from state to state and are changing the way employers handle workplace drug testing. The detection windows for THC can test positive 30 days after its initial use for chronic users with a urine analysis, and up to 90 days with a hair analysis. This leaves employers faced with complexities when determining if employees are impaired at work, or if they used at another time. Establishing a method to validate impairment in the workplace will deter employees from using in the first place and create a safer working environment.

Background Check

April 17, 2018

When an employer chooses not to hire an applicant based on information that is provided through a background check, then it is mandatory by law to initiate the adverse action process. Adverse action is any action taken that denies an individual employment, credit, insurance, etc. based on information obtained through a consumer report. This three-step process complies with federal and state laws to protect applicants from discrimination.

Transportation Compliance

April 12, 2018

Drugged driving, or drug-impaired driving, is becoming an increasingly critical issue for both states and state highway safety offices. In the most recently available data, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reported that “drugs were present in 43% of the fatally-injured drivers with a known test result, more frequently than alcohol was present.” For the first time, statistics reveal that drug use was more prevalent in fatally-injured drivers than alcohol. Ever-growing issues like the opioid epidemic and the legalization of recreational marijuana in multiple states only add to the deadly trends of drugged driving.

Transportation Compliance

April 03, 2018

As of April 1, 2018, under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) the ELD Mandate will enforce commercial drivers who are required to log Hours of Service (HOS) records of duty status (RODS) to use an electronic logging device or ELD. Those who haven’t implemented an ELD yet are already out of compliance. Employing this technology will ensure commercial drivers comply with federal Hours of Service rules, which will prevent crashes and save lives.