[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 759-760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00167]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA-2001-11213, Notice No. 30]


Drug and Alcohol Testing: Determination of Minimum Random Testing 
Rates for 2026

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 2026.

DATES: This determination takes effect January 8, 2026.

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).
    To summarize, FRA is announcing its minimum annual random drug and 
alcohol testing rates for calendar year 2026 as follows:
    --Covered service employee rates will remain at 25 percent for 
drugs and 10 percent for alcohol.
    --MOW employee rates will remain at 25 percent for drugs and 10 
percent for alcohol.
    --MECH employee rates will remain at 50 percent for drugs but will 
be lowered to 10 percent for alcohol.
    These rates are minimums, and railroad carriers 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

[[Page 760]]

employees remained below 1.0 percent for 2023 and 2024. 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, 2026, through December 31, 2026.
    The industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate for covered 
service employees remained below 0.5 percent for 2023 and 2024. The 
Administrator has therefore determined the minimum random annual 
alcohol testing rate for covered service employees will remain at 10 
percent for the period January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.

Random Testing Rates for MOW Employees

    The industry-wide random drug testing positive rate for MOW 
employees remained below 1.0 percent for 2023 and 2024. 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, 2026, through December 31, 2026.
    The industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate for MOW 
employees remained below 0.5 percent for 2023 and 2024. The 
Administrator has therefore determined the minimum random alcohol 
testing rate for MOW employees will remain at 10 percent for the period 
January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.

Random Testing Rates for MECH Employees

    FRA now has industry-wide MIS data from two full consecutive 
calendar years for MECH employees, who became subject to FRA random 
drug and alcohol testing in 2022. See 87 FR 5719 (Feb. 2, 2022).
    The industry-wide random drug testing positive rate for MECH 
employees was above 1.0 percent for 2023 and 2024. The Administrator 
has therefore determined the minimum annual random drug testing rate 
for MECH employees will remain at 50 percent for the period January 1, 
2026, through December 31, 2026.
    The industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate for MECH 
employees was below 0.5 percent for 2023 and 2024. The Administrator 
has therefore determined the minimum annual random alcohol testing rate 
for MECH employees will be lowered from 25 percent to 10 percent for 
the period January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
David A. Fink,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2026-00167 Filed 1-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P