Public Policy

Carriers Say They are “Not Prepared” to Begin Shipping COVID-19 Vaccines

September 27, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As the nation relies on the trucking industry to keep it stocked on essential goods, food, and medical equipment, freight companies say they will not be ready to meet the challenges of shipping COVID-19 vaccines to all who need it once it becomes readily available.

Carriers have had tirelessly-working employees throughout the current health crisis and have seen issues such as low containership and cargo capacity as well as a lack of a timeline in regards to the arrival of a vaccine. The rush to safely transport fragile medicines in larger-than-ever quantities will call on the use of reliable, innovative technology, and, unless these innovations are adopted widely soon, vaccine transport will face heavy delays.

“We’re not prepared,” said Flexport’s global head of air carrier relationships, Neel Jones Shah. “Let’s all be honest here, vaccine supply chains are exponentially more complex than PPE supply chains. You can’t ruin PPE by leaving it on the tarmac for a couple of days. You will destroy vaccines [by doing that].”

Distributing vaccines will bring a lot of unprecedented challenges, especially with a scaling-down infrastructure behind the global economy as it prepares for widespread downturn, which comes just as pharmaceutical professionals work toward their largest export to date.

Health officials have brought up the issue of refrigeration, saying a new vaccine must be kept at between 35.6 and 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit during the entire shipment process. Newer tech methods may require advanced freezer machinery to keep them at 80 degrees below 0 Celsius, but any change in temperature, at any time, could ruin the vaccines entirely.

According to Shah, Flexport is still working out how products needing such careful transport could reach rural or impoverished areas, or what pharmaceutical companies working on these vaccines will need from companies like his. “To a T, they’re all extremely nervous about being able to bring these to market as quickly as people might expect,” he explained.

According to the World Health Organization, there are currently at least 160 COVID-19 vaccines being developed, with 25 presently in human studies. Those that have been most successful are heading into late-stage trial experiments, and may reach emergency-use authorization before the end of 2020. This would bring potentially usable shots–although in limited quantity–to health care workers and others who are most at risk.

“Often, people are talking about the scientific conundrum of coming forward with a vaccine that works,” said Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co. “None of us are safe until all of us are safe, so it’s got to be given broadly to humanity. We need a vaccine that we can make and distribute around the world.”

Right now, companies are working out manufacturing deals while facilities prepare to produce still-risky vaccines that may fail in clinical trials. Although these vaccines are not yet ready for mass distribution, that level of production looms over the transportation industry, with pharmaceutical experts saying this distribution will be the greatest difficulty of the entire vaccine-producing process.

In regards to overseas travel, a single Boeing 777 will be able to ship one million individual vaccine vials, according to head of Emirates SkyCargo’s pharmaceutical division, Julian Sutch. Airlifting double-dose regimens–to be administered to half of the global population–would require 8,000 cargo planes.

Freeing up air freight capacity and preparing idled passenger planes to carry essential goods is helping to develop an international strategy. Currently, Emirates is using 70 passenger 777s just for cargo.

“I don’t think we’re ready because I don’t think we know what to expect,” said Miami International Airport aviation trade and logistics manager, Emir Pineda. “If, all of a sudden, 20 to 30 charter flights land at Miami International Airport full of pharmaceuticals for distribution throughout the Americas, we’re going to have a challenge.”

Governments may begin to intervene if private industry cannot meet the demands of this vaccine, as well. The Pentagon could potentially call Civil Reserve Air Fleet-contracted commercial airlines to aid in the efforts.

Additionally, as economies attempt to regain footing, stock demands will skyrocket ahead of the holiday season. Shipping prices may rise even higher, especially with current–and future–capacity shortages.

“We are going to see spikes driven by commercial freight,” said vice president at Atlas Air Worldwide, Michael Steen. “The typical calendar peak will be strong–that’s what we’re expecting.”

Although some international companies have been working to truck products into the U.S. or have been chartering private planes to deliver therapeutics, these Band-Aid solutions will likely fail with the complicated, expensive needs of shipping an international vaccine.

“We’re not planning proactively for accommodating that vaccine distribution going forward, because the various parties here are not connecting,” said Steen. “Shippers and manufacturers are not connecting.”

Still, supply chain companies, governments, and drug manufacturers are working diligently to find ways to “take this very scarce capacity and support the distribution of those vaccines in order to stimulate the economies and, most importantly, make people healthy again,” Steen said.

U-Haul Refuses to Hire Nicotine Users

January 30, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Starting February 1st, U-Haul will no longer bring any nicotine users onboard.

In a recent announcement, the moving and truck rental company said it will now refuse to hire nicotine users in the 21 states which legally allow that decision–citing the desire for a “healthier workforce” as the reason.

This nicotine-free policy is possible in states without protections for the rights of smokers. However, it won’t apply to employees hired prior to February.

In a news release, company chief of staff Jessica Lopez said U-Haul will be working toward fostering an overall new “culture of wellness.”

The states in which the new policy will take affect include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Prospective applicants in these states, which allow companies to choose not to hire job seekers using nicotine, should expect to find information on the anti-nicotine policy on their applications and to be questioned about their use of nicotine, U-Haul said. In states where testing is allowed, applicants may also have to undergo nicotine screening to be hirable.

U-Haul said it is striving to encourage wellness among its employees, and is working on a new fitness center in one of its Arizona locations, as well as multiple wellness and fitness programs.

The company currently employs over 30,000 people throughout North America and will work toward helping its current nicotine-using workers with cessation assistance.

“In our continued efforts to enhance our wellness program and decrease health care costs, we have become more aware of the medical side effects of using nicotine and tobacco products,” said Lopez.

These products include vaping tools and e-cigarettes, in addition to traditional cigarettes, according to the policy. U-Haul company officials have also explained their inspiration from hospitals and other health-conscious businesses which are implementing nicotine-free hiring methods.

Alaska Airlines has had a no-nicotine policy in place since 1985 in order to help keep health care costs and health consequences lower.

U-Haul’s decision to follow suit comes soon after President Trump signed legislation raising the minimum age of those purchasing any tobacco or vaping products from 18 to 21.

However, while public health experts may be pushing for smoke-free lifestyles, they are torn on whether or not companies and employees will benefit from the new policy.

Michael Siegel, professor of community health services at the Boston University School of Public Health, said that U-Haul’s policy is misguided in terms of its approach to furthering wellness, as those who are addicted to nicotine may have trouble quitting and opt for nicotine-infused gum, patches, or lozenges. Nicotine replacement treatment is able to appear in nicotine-screening urine tests.

“Essentially, what that means is if you quit smoking and start using nicotine patches or nicotine gum or electronic cigarettes, you are not eligible to work for that company if you’re using nicotine replacement products,” he explained.

According to a survey by the Food and Drug Administration, around 7 percent of smokers can successfully quit smoking for at least six months to a year; however, the Mayo Clinic found that over 30 percent of smokers can quit fully with the help of a nicotine-replacement product.

“There are a lot of vices out there, and [these workers] have just chosen this one thing,” said Siegel. “[Banning it] is just kind of inappropriate.”

Lynn Kozlowski, University of Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions professor, wants U-Haul to note that some nicotine-infused products are more harmful than others–like cigarettes and cigars as opposed to smokeless tobacco.

Products like smokeless tobacco and nicotine products for vaping are less likely to contaminate public workplaces or affect work performance. Banning all nicotine products together causes U-Haul to look as if its policy is based on morals rather than health, Kozlowski argued.

“I bet if U-Haul were to look at [its] corporate office, [it has] a coffeepot going most of the time and people addicted to caffeine,” he said.

This begs the question, where does a trucking company–or any employer–draw the line between raising reasonable health standards and being intrusive?

According to Kevin Schroth, associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, the company’s new rule could be deemed unfair to those who have fallen victim to the tobacco industry’s strong advertising techniques–which are aimed heavily at young people.

As of now, said Kozlowski, U-Haul’s policy announcement does not have nearly enough clarity for full scrutiny.

FMCSA Plans to Delay Implementation of Entry-Level Driver Training Rule

December 17, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The Entry-Level Driver Training rule, which was originally set to be implemented on February 7th, 2020, will now be delayed another two years.

The ELDT will eventually mandate that commercial driver applicants finish a particular section of training (required in 49 CFR part 380) before obtaining a Class A or B commercial driver’s license, an upgrade to a class B or Class A CDL, or adding a hazardous materials (H), passenger (P), or school bus (S) endorsement.

This rule comes in response to the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act,” or MAP-21, a federal transportation reauthorization bill which plans to aid the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in reducing crashes and injuries that involve large trucks and buses.

These changes are meant to further standardize driver training, as well as ensure school districts are complying with federal laws to keep students, staff, and other drivers safer on the road.

In a recent announcement of extension at the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services conference, FMCSA Administrator Larry Minor explained that the new intended deadline to comply with MAP-21 regulations is now February 7th, 2022.

The official notice is “in the pipeline,” according to an anonymous DOT official. “The whole thing is going to be delayed. It’s mostly due to the failure of the states aligning their systems with the federal system.”

The formal announcement of the delay is expected by mid-December.

The delay is “disappointing,” says vice president of training program development for Instruction Technologies Inc., Laura McMillan. “Our reaction is that, my goodness, the industry has been waiting for standards and a professional-level curriculum for over 20 years. If this industry wants to raise the professional image of truck driving, it begins with how we educate new drivers and prepare them for the field.”

However, Don Lefeve, Commercial Vehicle Training Association President, remains optimistic.

“We do believe, based on conversations, that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety has a grasp of the problem, and we’re hopeful that they can implement it before the two-year delay period,” he said. “But we’re very disappointed that this is not going to be rolled out on time…There are still a lot of substandard programs that will remain in existence (until then).”

As of now, the ELDT has general training guidelines in place, but doesn’t quite specify how exactly to train drivers or even the number of training hours required. The overall intention is to standardize these topics at a national level in order to increase road safety.

The original implementation outline explained that ELDT would create a baseline for training requirements for new Class A and Class B CDL license holders, but changes would not apply to existing drivers. Any driver who was not changing their license or adding an endorsement, and who had completed training before February 7th, 2020, would be grandfathered into the rule and would not need to meet MAP-21 training baselines. After February 7th, new trainees would have needed to comply with the ELDT requirements.

Instructional Technologies Inc.’s McMillan, who has been working on an ELDT curriculum subcommittee, says the current system problems are not limited to the state’s individual regulations.

“The reality is that the training provider registry is not even available,” she explained. “It’s interesting that federal regulators would characterize that this is a state problem and that the states can’t comply when the federal system is not up and available. There seems to be a lack of ownership for this entire issue.”

McMillan also says schools and carriers were supposed to be able to self-certify by October 1st, but that registry, which was set to be the first aspect of completion for the required curriculum, is still not up and running.

Director of safety policy for American Trucking Associations, Dan Horvath, said he is not particularly surprised by any of this.

“We felt that to not delay the whole thing, to at least go forward with the requirements for training the driver [was something that] needed to go through,” he said. “We felt [that] that’s the whole point of the ELDT rule to begin with. We understand that the verification process on the back end would be a nuisance, but not enough to delay the whole rule. However, having said that, we did see that the majority of the comments on the delay were [saying] to delay the whole thing.”

Out of the 1,200 comments made on the rule over the summer, the majority of those who weighed in–comprised of people from state trucking associations, state police, state departments of motor vehicles, and school officials–wanted a delay of full compliance until 2022.

For example, the Minnesota Trucking Association said the rule should be postponed until all systems “from top to bottom” can fully comply with implementation.

“The MTA believes that partial implementation increases the odds for errors and unintentional non-compliance,” said the association. “Motor carriers are concerned that despite their best efforts to comply, state and federal information technology systems will miss information and place the carrier at risk.”

Alderman Hopkins Pushes Toward a Plan to Rebuild Lake Shore Drive

November 10, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

CHICAGO – Alderman Brian Hopkins (2nd) is currently pressuring the city to start massive movement on its long-awaited plan of adding new parkland off of Lake Shore Drive, as well as implementing a solution to an inefficient lakefront intersection at Chicago Avenue.

Hopkins is working toward a resolution that would completely rebuild–not just repave–The Drive and add 70 acres of parkland to its east.

It would also aim to expand Oak Street Beach.

Hopkins’ ward covers the stretch from the Downtown lakefront to Bucktown. Regarding his proposals, he has been requesting support from Governor J.B. Pritzker.

“The $45 billion capital bill is out there,” Hopkins explained. “And we don’t know what that’s going to be spent on. I’m pushing for this plan to finally come to fruition and get it off the drawing board.”

The alderman is also asking for a resolution to the inconvenient traffic backups caused at the Lake Shore Drive/Chicago Avenue intersection, where eastbound vehicles traveling from Streeterville make for an excessively long red light wait time in all four directions, while cars only get a few seconds to move once the light finally turns green.

“If you were a traffic engineer,” Hopkins said, “you would be fired for proposing this today. It’s just that bad.”

The resolution would also work to create a path allowing Chicago Avenue traffic to pass over Lake Shore Drive, along with with on-ramps and off-ramps to make for easier maneuvers on and off of The Drive–which would ideally no longer back up traffic.

“We really have no choice,” explained Hopkins. “We have to do something. Lake Shore Drive is crumbling. It needs to be replaced. The roadbed is beyond its useful service life. And as long as we’re rebuilding Lake Shore Drive, I think it would be a tragic waste of opportunity if we don’t also expand the parkland there.”

As of now, Lake Shore Drive has sparse greenery and boasts mostly concrete walkways and bike lanes on its sides. Hopkins’ plan would include new landfill to expand into the lake for additional parkland along the roadway.

The Drive is also under constant threat of flooding by Lake Michigan.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been working to add Jersey barriers to hold back rising water along the lake, but Hopkins believes this is impractical.

“It’s not going to work,” Hopkins told the City Club of Chicago late last month. “The types of erosion we’re seeing through climate change, fluctuating lake levels…we can’t get out of the way of this with Jersey walls. We have to rebuild Lake Shore Drive.”

Hopkins is waiting for much more momentum to come with the new administration in Springfield.

His project would also put into place a long-running campaign to fix Lake Shore Drive’s S-shaped curve around Oak Street Beach. This development aligns with Meigs Field’s conversion to a Northerly Island nature preservation, as well as with Downtown’s Museum Campus completion that sits just off of The Drive.

Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, who helped to write the “Plan of Chicago” in 1909, deemed the city’s shoreline “forever open, clear and free,” which has been publicly mandated since 1836.

18 years ago, a group of cyclists established the Campaign for a Free and Clear Lakefront in honor of Burnham’s vision–they wanted the city to remove Lake Shore Drive entirely and return it to its origins as a grassy park space. In their eyes, such a large separation between Chicagoans and Lake Michigan was in direct violation of Burnham’s ideals.

It seems they weren’t far off base.

The ‘North Lake Shore Drive project,’ has been a collaboration between the Chicago and Illinois departments of transportation, the Chicago Park District, the Federal Highway Administration, and various neighborhood groups since 2013.

Safer and more efficient roadways, a renovated drive, and new parklands are possible, but these improvements will need backing, funding, and teamwork between government groups and Chicago locals.

Alderman Hopkins’ fight is a powerful reminder of the reimagining that is needed for Lake Shore Drive–better parks and more beach space are what will allow Chicago’s lakefront to remain a scenic legacy. It won’t be enough just to prevent it from falling apart.

Chicago Police Begin New Campaign to Catch More Drunk Drivers

September 20, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

CHICAGO – Local police departments are cracking down on drunk driving in a new safety campaign.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is pairing up with local police to launch “Saturation Saturday,” a campaign implementing increased DUI control and sobriety checkpoints in Chicago and across the entire United States.

ABC 7 Chicago recently shared the story of Lisa Pruett, who lost her daughter Olivia Cooper to drunk driving almost 12 years ago. Cooper was only 21.

“Olivia was the offender,” Pruett said of the January 2008 accident. “She became her own victim of a drunk driving crash.”

Pruett aims for her story to make drivers think twice about getting behind the wheel after drinking.

“Every DUI arrest we make can save someone’s life,” Illinois State Police Lt. Col. David Byrd told ABC 7. “We do this every night. These officers are out there every night patrolling.”

On September 5th, The Chicago Police Department released a statement explaining its findings in its DUI Saturation Patrol in Englewood over August 31st and September 1st, issuing one DUI arrest, seven Unsafe Vehicle Violation arrests, and 13 Traffic Violation arrests, to name a few. In the Gresham District Saturation Patrol conducted August 23rd and 24th, CPD also made one DUI arrest, along with 14 arrests for Unsafe Vehicle Violations and 19 for Traffic Violations.

“The purpose of this program is to saturate a pre-designated area with roving police officers that continually monitor vehicular traffic for signs of impaired driving,” CPD said in the statement. Patrols place emphasis not only on alcohol-related violations, but on safety belt and speed violations as well.

CPD also says the Breath Alcohol Testing Mobile Unit may be deployed in future saturation plans in order for officers to more quickly charge someone with a DUI before taking them into custody. This unit also issues Individual Recognizance Bonds at the site of patrol.

These “Saturation Saturdays,” which will continue throughout Chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods, serve as an important reminder for drivers not to get behind the wheel after drinking under any circumstances, even if they think they feel fine. The strategies of preventing drunk driving (proven effective by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) to keep in mind include:

–Zero tolerance laws–it is illegal to drive with any amount of alcohol in your system if you are under 21 years of age.

-A blood alcohol content measured at or above 0.08 percent is illegal, and may result in a DUI.

–License revocation or suspension laws allow police to take away the license of someone testing at or above the legal BAC limit who refuses testing.

The Los Angeles Times, along with Alcohol Problems and Solutions, also have some tips on how to spot and avoid drunk drivers on the road–and what to do if you see one:

Warning signs:

-Unusually wide turns

-Weaving or swerving

-Straddling the lane marker

-Tailgating

-Sudden stops

-Abrupt turns

-No headlights at night

-Drifting

-Slow responses

-Driving in the wrong direction

What not to do:

-Attempt to stop the vehicle

-Disregard traffic signals or laws to keep the driver in your view

-Try to follow the vehicle if it is speeding or if there are any other hazards

-Follow the impaired driver closely–the car may stop suddenly

-Attempt to detain the drunk driver if he or she does stop

-Act in the capacity of police or safety official unless you are authorized to do so

-Try to assist any law enforcement while they apprehend a drunk driver (unless requested)

What to do:

-Maintain a safe distance–a drunk driver may swerve into you.

-If a drunk driver is behind you, pull over or turn right when safe so he or she can pass.

-If the driver is coming head on, move onto the shoulder, stop, and use your horn and/or lights to get his or her attention.

-When approaching an intersection at night, slow down and be alert for the unexpected.

-Use your seat belt properly and keep doors locked.

-Use four-lane highways and avoid rural roads when possible.

-Avoid travel after midnight (especially on weekends).

-Of course, never drink and drive, and serve as a designated driver when possible.

Additionally, you can help police by dialing 911 or *SP on your cell phone (as soon as it is safe to do so), saying you’d like to report a suspected drunk driver, giving the exact location of the vehicle, and providing as complete a description as possible–make, model and color of vehicle as well as the license plate number.

Rising Drug Abuse Poses Significant Threats to Road Safety

June 20, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As we are all well aware, the United States is facing an ongoing opioid crisis it has long been struggling to control. With a total of 11.4 million people misusing prescription opioids in 2017, it is easy to see the ramifications of the opioid epidemic have found their way into the lives of commercial truck drivers throughout the United States. As of January 1^st, 2018, any individual taking a Department of Transportation federally mandated drug test, as those with a commercial driver’s license must do, would be subject to testing not only for drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines, but for semi-synthetic opioids like OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet, and Vicodin. This expansion upon the previous drug testing regulations embodies how the trucking industry has had to deal with the issue of drugs among its drivers. While opioids statistically are not the most prevalent drugs being used by drivers within the trucking industry, the new drug testing regulations confirm what many within the industry have known for years; the drug crisis America faces has hit one of its largest industries the hardest.

On June 12, 2019, the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, what many in the industry know as the “Trucking Alliance,” submitted a statement to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Sub-Committee on Highways and Transit regarding the state of drug use within America’s trucking industry. As part of its statement to Congress, the Trucking Alliance provided data which had been given to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and found compelling evidence of severe drug use among commercial drivers. The data showed results of “151,662 truck driver applicants, who were asked to submit to two drug tests – a urinalysis and a hair analysis. Almost all applicants held an active commercial driver’s license.” In addition, 94% of the applicants tested drug-free; however, there were thousands of applicants who failed either one or both of the tests given. Making the issue far worse, the urinalysis test, which happens to be the only method used by USDOT, actually did not identify a majority of users, missing 9 out of 10 actual illicit drug users. On the other hand, the Trucking Alliance has proposed that USDOT begin mandating a hair analysis to be conducted in addition to the current urinalysis routine. In total, the Trucking Alliance has now stated that based on the estimated 3.5 million commercial drivers within the United States, the data compiled would result in roughly 301,000 commercial drivers failing or refusing a hair analysis. Even though this number appears shocking, it only begins to convey the hazard that such drivers pose to road safety.

Drug Use Among Drivers is Leading to Dangerous Roads

Part of the Trucking Alliance’s plea to Congress on June 12^th was to make certain that motorists are not placed in more danger due to a commercial driver’s potential drug abuse problem. As evidenced by the survey conducted, public safety is at risk if trucking companies fail to acknowledge and appropriately test for drugs that have been proven to be rampant within the industry itself. In fact, a Quest Diagnostics analysis conducted between 2015 and 2017, found that commercial drivers who went through post-accident testing saw an increase in positive drug-testing rates rising 51%, from 3.1% in 2017 all the way to 4.7% in 2018.

Of course, the trucking industry is not the only one afflicted by the ongoing drug crisis in the United States; however, as in other industries of high stress and long hours, drug abuse seems all the more likely. With that being said, it is absolutely essential that employers take this data seriously and consider adopting new, more accurate drug tests, in addition to the mandated urinalysis test that has been proven to fail. For the health of the commercial drivers spending hours on the road alone and for the overall well being of the general public, employers must do all they can to keep unsafe drivers off the road.

The Effects of Driving Impaired

While the opioid epidemic is a crisis that must be addressed, many companies are actually finding that the legalization of marijuana through various states in the US is also contributing to driver impairment. Trucking Info’s recent Safety and Compliance report cited an interview with the American Trucking Association’s Abigail Potter, Manager of Safety & Occupational Health Policy. Abigail recently mentioned that even if a driver is operating a vehicle under 26,000 pounds, “you still have to be medically qualified to operate, and one of the requirements is to not use a controlled substance, which include marijuana.” Further, being impaired by marijuana causes “drivers to exhibit poor judgment, decreased motor coordination, and decreased reaction time,” leading drivers to be all the more likely to get into an accident and place others at risk. If these are the effects that marijuana has on drivers, now imagine the impairment that such drivers experience from opioids, which have proven to be prevalent in the trucking industry as the US experiences this ongoing crisis.

What Can Be Done

As it appears the best way to directly attack the ongoing issues within the trucking industry is based solely on understanding who is actually being affected by drug abuse, creating an appropriate guideline for company testing is the most appropriate way to start. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides a checklist to help employers with drug testing. The checklist includes the following:

Identify any federal or state laws with which you must comply
Consult union officials, if applicable
Identify and contact a laboratory certified by the Department of Health and Human Services
Create a system that maintains and protects the confidentiality of employee drug testing records
Designate an employee who will receive test results from the lab and keep results confidential
Develop a clear, consistent and fair policy before reviewing it with legal counsel
Notify employees 30 to 60 days before implementing the testing program
Contract with a medical review officer; and
Inform employees that organization leadership will comply with the policy

The most important thing to keep in mind for trucking companies overseeing this process is to know that there is data suggesting that opting for an additional hair analysis drug test will likely result in far more accurate readings. While the country is as reliant as ever on trucking to transport goods from place to place, that does not mean we should sacrifice driver and road safety to keep more commercial drivers in the industry without getting help. We need to be smart and make certain that everyone on the road remains safe.