Effective January 6, 2023, motor carriers are no longer required to manually reach out to a prospective CDL driver’s previous employer to enquire about drug and alcohol related information. This date marks three years since the rollout of the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, which is now considered fully implemented.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau, NICB, counted just 3,969 reports of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020, and more than 52,000 last year. One could speculate that there is a connection with the pandemic and recent inflation. The NICB offers several prevention tips, including parking in a secure area, installing motion sensor lights in the front of your home, and installing an anti-theft device for the catalytic converter on the vehicle.