Nearly 200k drivers risk losing their license in days under November 18 rule – passing a test avoids the crackdown

THOUSANDS of drivers run the risk of losing their licenses in the coming days with a new rule set to come into force.

However, successfully passing a simple test can significantly contribute to avoiding the crackdown.

In a new ruling from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, thousands of truck drivers listed as ‘prohibited’ in the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse could have their licences ripped up.

In a recent report, it was revealed that 163,318 holders of Commercial Driver’s Licenses and Commercial Learner’s Permits are currently classified as ‘prohibited’ in a database that tracks violations of the FMCSA’s drug and alcohol testing program.

And unless these drivers begin their Return-to-Duty process before November 18, when the rule comes in, they risk losing their commercial driving privileges.

The November deadline comes after a ruling was issued in October 2021, which tightened regulations surrounding the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse.

In a statement, the FMCSA said: “As established in the first Clearinghouse Final Rule, drivers with a ‘prohibited’ Clearinghouse status are prohibited from operating a commercial motor vehicle on public roads.

“The second Clearinghouse final rule further supports this by ensuring that drivers with a ‘prohibited’ Clearinghouse status do not continue to hold a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit.”

The FMCSA’s initial Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Final Rule, which came into effect on January 6, 2020, requires carriers to check the database before hiring drivers and conduct yearly checks on existing drivers.

The ‘prohibited’ status starts a 60-day period for the state licensing agencies to downgrade licences and learning permits.

This ensures that employers, as well as law enforcement, have access to records of drug and alcohol violations, including positive tests and refusals.

This comes as another new law will see drivers forced to shell out $9 every time they travel through some of New York City’s busiest roads thanks to a new bill.

The Big Apple’s controversial congestion fee crackdown will finally take effect on January 5, 2025, months after Governor Kathy Hochul suddenly paused the system on June 6.

Governor Hochul announced the revamped toll prices on Thursday, five months after she postponed the proposed fees weeks before it was set to start on June 30.

At that time, drivers would be forced to pay a $15 toll whenever they entered the Congestion Relief Zone of Manhattan, which covers 60th Street and below.

Elsewhere, a family’s four-day camping trip turned into a costly expense when they were hit with a $550 toll bill.

John Landry, his wife, Julia, and their six kids decided to take a road trip to Luray Caverns in Virginia in October, traveling in two separate vehicles for a more comfortable ride.

Landry and his five other kids rode in the family’s RV while his wife and their youngest child took their minivan.