The day before the May 14 release of the NTSB report, Mr. Graves wrote to the NTSB on voluntary hair testing for commercial drivers—to replace mandatory urine testing for alcohol and drugs.
Hair testing, Mr. Graves said, is more accurate than urine testing.
"The positive hair-testing rate for driver-applicants far exceeds the positive urine-testing rate for the same individuals," Mr. Graves wrote. ATA knows of thousands of drivers who flunked hair tests at the carriers that conduct them, yet he said those drivers later obtained jobs with other carriers that only conducted urine testing.
"Several of these drivers have had crashes and, of course, future ones are likely as a result," Mr. Graves said.
The NTSB report, "Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Alcohol-Impaired Driving," makes five major recommendations:
• Reducing the allowable blood-alcohol concentration for drivers to .05 percent or lower from the current .08 percent;
• Conducting higher-visibility enforcement of impaired driving laws, including greater use of passive alcohol sensing technology;
• Expanding the use of in-vehicle devices to prevent impaired driving;
• Using "Driving While Intoxicated" courts and other programs to prevent repeat DWI offenses; and
• Establishing measurable goals for reducing impaired driving and tracking progress toward that goal.
More information is on the ATA website.
