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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 2 (Friday, January 3, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-31582]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2001-11213, Notice No. 29]

Drug and Alcohol Testing: Determination of Minimum Random Testing 
Rates for 2025

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notification of determination.

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SUMMARY: This notification of determination announces FRA's minimum 
annual random drug and minimum annual random alcohol testing rates for 
covered service, maintenance-of-way (MOW), and mechanical (MECH) 
employees for calendar year 2025.

DATES: This determination takes effect January 3, 2025.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerald Powers, FRA Drug and Alcohol 
Program Manager, by email: [email protected] or by telephone: 202-
493-6313; or Melissa Van Dermeir, FRA Drug and Alcohol Program 
Specialist, by email: [email protected] or by telephone: 312-
720-9491.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year, FRA sets its minimum annual 
random testing rates after considering the last two complete calendar 
years of railroad industry drug and alcohol program data submitted to 
its Management Information System (MIS). FRA, however, reserves the 
right to consider factors other than MIS-reported data before deciding 
whether to lower annual minimum random testing rates. See 85 FR 81265 
(Dec. 15, 2020).
    FRA is announcing that its minimum annual random drug and alcohol 
testing rates for calendar year 2025 will continue to be the same as 
those for calendar year 2024, as follows:
     Covered service employees--25 percent for drugs and 10 
percent for alcohol.
     MOW employees--25 percent for drugs and 10 percent for 
alcohol.
     MECH employees--50 percent for drugs and 25 percent for 
alcohol.
    These rates are minimums, and railroads and railroad contractors 
may conduct FRA random testing at higher rates.

Discussion

Random Testing Rates for Covered Service Employees

    The industry-wide random drug testing positive rate for covered 
service employees remained below 1.0 percent for 2022 and 2023. The 
Administrator has therefore determined the minimum annual random drug 
testing rate for covered service employees will remain at 25 percent 
for the period January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
    The industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate for covered 
service employees remained below 0.5 percent for 2022 and 2023. The 
Administrator has therefore determined the minimum random alcohol 
testing rate for covered service employees will remain at 10 percent 
for the period January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

Random Testing Rates for MOW Employees

    The industry-wide random drug testing positive rate for MOW 
employees remained below 1.0 percent for 2022 and 2023. The 
Administrator has therefore determined the minimum annual random drug 
testing rate for MOW employees will remain at 25 percent for the period 
January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025
    The industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate for MOW 
employees remained below 0.5 percent for 2022 and 2023. The 
Administrator has therefore determined the minimum random alcohol 
testing rate for MOW employees will remain at 10 percent for the period 
January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

Random Testing Rates for MECH Employees

    FRA will not have the two full years of industry-wide MIS data 
required to adjust the random testing rates for MECH employees until it 
has the MIS data for 2024, since MECH employees did not become subject 
to FRA random drug and alcohol testing until March 2022. See 87 FR 5719 
(Feb. 2, 2022). The Administrator has therefore determined that the 
minimum random rates for MECH employees will remain at 50 percent for 
drugs and 25 percent for alcohol for the period January 1, 2025, 
through December 31, 2025.

    Issued in Washington, DC
Allison Ishihara Fultz,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2024-31582 Filed 1-2-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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