The thought of being hit by a drunk or a drugged driver is an understandably worrisome one for Illinois residents. If that drunk or drugged driver happens to be operating a semi truck, dump truck or other very large and heavy commercial vehicle, your concerns may well be even greater than if they were driving a passenger car. The weight and size of these vehicles can definitely increase the serious nature of the consequences of such crashes.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration knows this and that is part of why it created a new rule to institute a stronger process around preventing impaired operation among truckers. Referred to as the drug and alcohol clearinghouse, this rule has several components including mandated pre-employment drug and alcohol screenings. Another element of the rule is the required substance testing by state agencies prior to issuing any new, transferred or renewed commercial driving licenses.
Recently, Transport Topics reported that while these agencies must conduct such testing, they were not provided the authority to do anything based on the results. This gap is now being addressed with a proposed amendment to the rule but there is no timeline available as to when they may be able to deny or downgrade a license based upon a negative result.
If you would like to learn more about how you might be able to get assistance seeking justice and compensation after an accident involving a drunk or drugged truck driver, please feel free to visit the impaired driving accident page of our Illinois personal injury website.