The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has reduced the minimum annual percentage rate for random controlled substances testing for drivers of Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs) requiring a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Effective January 1, 2016, carriers must now randomly drug test at least 25% of the average number of driver positions (instead of the 50% that was previously mandated). The FMCSA chose to reduce the annual percentage rate because the positive rate for controlled substances random testing fell below 1.0% for 3 consecutive calendar years (2011-2013). Businesses are reminded that the 2016 alcohol test minimum remains unchanged at 10% of the average population in each FMCSA pool.Employers will be required to conduct fewer random drug tests in 2016 than in 2015.

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