A congressional panel will hold a hearing Thursday on ways to better gauge health of truck drivers, in an effort to reduce accidents, the Associated Press reported Monday.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will look at oversight of truck drivers’ health being that is charged to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, AP said.
One proposal would create a clearinghouse for drug test results for commercial truck drivers to make it easier for employers to conduct checks, AP said.
The committee, headed by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), has asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate unfit truck drivers, AP reported
A 30-page GAO study, which AP obtained in advance of its release this week, said 563,000 commercial drivers were determined by several government agencies to be eligible for full disability benefits because over health issues.
The report said disability does not necessarily mean a driver is unfit to operate a commercial vehicle, but cited examples that raised some concerns about safety oversight, AP reported.
GAO identified more than 1,000 drivers with vision, hearing or seizure disorders that generally would prohibit a trucker from obtaining a valid commercial driver’s license, AP said.
