Today in the Federal Register, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an operating division within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), published a notice request for information regarding the use of hair specimen for drug testing. Specifically, SAMHSA's chartered Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Drug Testing Advisory Board (DTAB) will be the vehicle to provide recommendations to the SAMHSA Administrator for proposed changes to the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs. The CSAP DTAB process involves evaluating the scientific supportability of any considered change. To assist the DTAB, SAMHSA is soliciting written comments and statements from the general public and industry stakeholders regarding a variety of issues related to hair specimen drug testing, including the hair specimen, its collection, specimen preparation, analytes, cutoffs, specimen validity, and initial and confirmatory testing. Because the Department of Transportation (DOT) must follow the scientific guidelines of the HHS for DOT-regulated drug testing laboratory procedures, participants in the DOT transportation industry drug testing program should be aware of the important issues that HHS is considering regarding the scientific methodology and forensic defensibility of hair testing. Any notice and subsequent final rule issued by the HHS regarding hair testing may affect the DOT testing program under 49 CFR Part 40, but only after the DOT conducts its own rulemaking. We believe that employers, employees, and testing service providers involved in the DOT testing program should be aware of this HHS Federal Register document. We recommend that DOT program participants review and provide information in response to this HHS Request for Information and, if they have views or concerns to express, provide comment to the HHS. We urge interested persons to read the HHS document carefully and to provide any information, relevant studies, and comments directly to the HHS. The Request for Information can be viewed at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-05-29/pdf/2015-12743.pdf. Comments and information may be submitted to the docket using this link http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=SAMHSA-2015-0003-0003. The docket will be open for 30 days.
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Publishes ‘Request for Information’
BTS Releases March 2015 North American Freight Numbers
BTS 26-15 Thursday, May 28, 2015 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568
BTS Releases March 2015 North American Freight Numbers
U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $96.1 billion in March 2015 as three out of five transportation modes – air, rail, and truck – carried more U.S.-NAFTA freight than in March 2014, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by theU.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows by all modes decreased by 5.3 percent. The value of NAFTA trade by pipeline and vessel declined in March due to the reduced unit price of mineral fuel shipments.
Freight by Mode In March 2015 compared to March 2014, the value of commodities moving by air grew by the largest percentage of any mode, 6.0 percent. Rail freight increased by 1.5 percent and truck freight increased by 0.9 percent. Vessel freight decreased by 30.3 percent and pipeline freight decreased by 41.6 percent mainly due to the lower unit price of mineral fuel shipments.
Trucks carried 64.0 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $30.6 billion of the $51.2 billion of imports (59.8 percent) and $30.9 billion of the $44.9 billion of exports (68.9 percent).
Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 15.8 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel, 6.2 percent; pipeline, 5.1 percent; and air, 4.1 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.9 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows.
U.S.-Canada Freight U.S.-Canada freight totaled $50.8 billion in March 2015 as one out of five transportation modes – air – carried more U.S.-Canada freight than in March 2014. Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-Canada trade by air increased by 1.0 percent. Lower mineral fuel prices contributed to a year-over-year decrease in the value of rail freight, down 2.9 percent. Mineral fuels are a larger share of freight moved by vessel, which declined 26.0 percent, and pipeline down 42.1 percent. A drop in bidirectional trade of vehicles and parts contributed to a 3.4 percent decline in U.S.-Canada truck freight over the same time period.
Trucks carried 58.4 percent of the $50.8 billion of freight to and from Canada, followed by rail, 16.7 percent; pipeline, 9.0 percent; air, 4.9 percent; and vessel, 4.4 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 84.1 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows.
U.S.-Mexico Freight U.S.-Mexico freight totaled $45.2 billion in March 2015 as three out of five transportation modes – air, rail, and truck – carried more U.S.-Mexico freight than in March 2014. Year-over-year, the value of U.S.-Mexico air freight rose 15.7 percent, the largest percentage increase of any mode. Freight carried by rail increased by 7.5 percent and truck freight increased by 5.3 percent. Pipeline freight decreased by 32.1 percent and vessel freight decreased by 32.7 percent, mainly due to lower mineral fuel prices.
Trucks carried 70.3 percent of the $45.2 billion of freight to and from Mexico, followed by rail, 14.9 percent; vessel, 8.2 percent; air, 3.3 percent; and pipeline, 0.6 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 85.9 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows.
See BTS Transborder Data Release for summary tables and additional data. See North American Transborder Freight Data on the BTS website for additional data for surface modes since 1995 and all modes since 2004.
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BTS Releases March 2015 Passenger Airline Employment Data
BTS 25-15 Thursday, May 21, 2015 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568 BTS Releases March 2015 Passenger Airline Employment Data
U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 390,841 workers in March 2015, 1.9 percent more than in March 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. March was the 16th consecutive month that full-time equivalent (FTE) employment for U.S. scheduled passenger airlines exceeded the same month of the previous year and was the highest monthly total since July 2012.
Month-to-month, the number of FTEs rose 0.5 percent from February to March, the third consecutive monthly increase (Table 1A). Scheduled passenger airline categories include network, low-cost, regional and other airlines.
The five network airlines that collectively employ two-thirds of the scheduled passenger airline FTEs reported 1.7 percent more FTEs in March 2015 than in March 2014. Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways increased FTEs from March 2014 while United Airlines reduced FTEs. Month-to-month, the number of network airline FTEs rose 0.8 percent from February to March, rising for the sixth consecutive month. Network airlines operate a significant portion of their flights using at least one hub where connections are made for flights to down-line destinations or spoke cities.
The six low-cost carriers reported 4.0 percent more FTEs in March 2015 than in March 2014. Spirit Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Virgin America reported increases while Frontier Airlines reduced FTEs. Month-to-month, the number of low-cost airline FTEs declined 0.2 percent from February to March, falling after rising for two months. Low-cost airlines operate under a low-cost business model, with infrastructure and aircraft operating costs below the overall industry average.
The 12 regional carriers reported 0.5 percent fewer FTEs in March 2015 than in March 2014. Seven regional airlines – PSA Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Compass Airlines, Republic Airlines, Horizon Air, GoJet Airlines and Envoy Air – reported increased employment levels. The others reported decreases. Month-to-month, the number of regional airline FTEs rose 0.1 percent from February to March, rising for the second consecutive month. Regional carriers typically provide service from small cities, using primarily regional jets to support the network carriers’ hub and spoke systems.
See Passenger Airline Employment press release for summary tables and additional data. Historical employment data can be found on the BTS web site.
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The Department of Health and Human Services Proposes New Drug Testing Procedures for the Federal Drug Free Workplace Programs
On May 15, 2015 we sent a list serve email letting employers, employees, and testing service provides involved in the DOT testing programs know of two Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Federal Register documents. In those two notices, the HHS:
We recommended that DOT program participants review the HHS proposals and, if they have views or concerns to express, provide comment to the HHS. In the email we provided a link to the two notices, but omitted the links to where you could provide ‘comments to the docket’. Below are the links to both Federal Register notices and their respective dockets:
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The Department of Health and Human Services Proposes New Drug Testing Procedures for the Federal Drug Free Workplace Programs
Today in the Federal Register, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published two important notices. Specifically, the HHS:
Attached is the HHS email alert regarding these two important notices. Because the Department of Transportation (DOT) must follow the scientific guidelines of the HHS for DOT-regulated drug testing laboratory procedures, participants in the DOT transportation industry drug testing program should be aware of the important issues that HHS is considering. Any final rule issued by the HHS regarding these proposals will be taken into consideration and may affect the DOT testing program under 49 CFR Part 40, but only after the DOT conducts its own rulemaking. We believe that employers, employees, and testing service providers involved in the DOT testing program should be aware of the HHS Federal Register documents. We recommend that DOT program participants review the HHS proposals and, if they have views or concerns to express, provide comment to the HHS. We urge interested persons to read the HHS documents carefully and to provide any comments directly to the HHS Docket. The HHS documents can be viewed at:
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