19 May The benefits of SAP Services
Driving a commercial vehicle isn’t easy, but commercial drivers help keep America running. We are thankful for their service and the companies that employ them.
We get it. Drivers work hour after hour, listening to the hum of the road while people in their tiny cars swerve in front of them. Perhaps your employees are also working forced overtime, and the stress has become overwhelming. So there could be a temptation to self-medicate to ease the frustration.
That’s why at Care Plus Solutions, we’re here to help.
The Problem Is Increasing
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) March 2022 Drug and Alcohol Abuse Clearinghouse report, so far in 2022, there have been 16,583 drug and alcohol violations—and that’s just from those who have been tested.
In 2020, there were a total of 53,841 reported drug and alcohol violations. In 2021, there were 59,106 reported violations. If the number of drug and alcohol violations in the first quarter of 2022 continues throughout the rest of the year, the number of reported violations could exceed 66,000.
Substance Abuse Professionals
How do we do this? One of the services we offer is Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and Substance Abuse Expert (SAE) assessments.
The role of a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) or a Substance Abuse Expert (SAE) is to:
- Determine the level of drug and/or alcohol use or abuse
- Make recommendations for substance abuse treatment or education
- Monitor the employee’s compliance
- Report violations and advise on follow-up testing programs for future monitoring.
Our SAPs and SAEs are specialists in maintaining Department of Transportation (DOT) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) compliance.
Every Commercial Driver Matters
At Care Plus Solutions, we know that the life of every commercial driver matters. Our services are designed to help drivers stay compliant with the requirements of the Federal DOT, thereby improving their mental health as well as maintaining safety on our Nation’s roadways.
According to the March 2022 Drug and Alcohol Abuse Clearinghouse report, 82% of the total violations reported are due to positive drug tests.
Since January of 2020, these are the top five drugs discovered in tests.
- Marijuana metabolite was present in 70,872 tests.
- Cocaine was present in 19,401 tests.
- Methamphetamine was present in 11,731 tests.
- Amphetamine was present in 11,275 tests.
- Oxymorphone was present in 3,007 tests.
If a Commercial Driver’s Licence (CDL)/Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) holder has a drug and alcohol program violation recorded in the Clearinghouse, then the CDL/CLP holder must be removed from safety-sensitive functions, including operating a commercial motor vehicle, until the return-to-duty (RTD) process is completed.
As of April 1, 2022, there are 119,113 drivers with at least one violation. The number of drivers in Prohibited Status exceeds 89,000. A driver is no longer prohibited from performing safety-sensitive functions once they have a negative RTD test result. Currently, more than 29,400 drivers are in Not-Prohibited status.
We’re Here to Help
At Care Plus Solutions, our SAP and SAE services are comprehensive. We don’t want people to simply get better to pass a test. Instead, we want to help them pass the test and learn healthy coping skills to reduce their stress, thus reducing the risk of relapse. Substance use recovery is a life-long commitment that begins one day at a time.
We are here to serve you! Call or email us today to schedule an SAP or SAE assessment for one or all of your employees.
Care Plus Solutions is America’s first EAP and is headquartered in New York and has offices in New Jersey. Over the course of the company’s 46 year history, their brand has remained firmly rooted in the rich history of the EAP field, never losing sight of the fundamental purpose of the EAP; delivering personal and quality services to those in need. It is fair to say that Care Plus Solutions is the gold standard in the field of Employee Assistance.
Reference:
https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/Resource/Index/monthly-report-Mar2022
