Drug Bill Orders National Bus, Truck Driver Licenses

Congress will require bus and truck drivers to obtain a single national driver’s license as part of the anti-drug legislation passed Friday, a move intended to prevent concealment of bad safety records.

In addition, the bill includes provisions to benefit the homeless, permitting use of food stamps at shelters and soup kitchens, making homeless people eligible for job training and eliminating the need for a fixed address to obtain veterans’ benefits.

Reagan to Sign Bill

The truck-safety and homeless provisions, threatened with extinction as separate bills in the last days of the 99th Congress, were resuscitated as amendments to the drug bill, which is expected to be signed by President Reagan this week.

The bus and truck licensing requirements were designed to prevent drivers from spreading violations among multiple licenses and to require that they demonstrate proficiency in operating trucks and buses before being licensed to drive them commercially.

Surveys show that one-third of all professional truck and bus drivers have multiple licenses, said Steve Hilton, press secretary to Sen John C. Danforth (R-Mo.), sponsor of the provisions.

Lax Tests Cited

The bill would “end the 20-state practice of giving anyone who passes a driving test in a subcompact passenger car the right to drive a 40-ton truck or a bus carrying dozens of passengers,” Danforth told the Senate Friday.

In addition, anyone who drives a truck or bus while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will lose his commercial license for a year on the first violation and permanently the second time. If a commercial vehicle is used in a drug-related felony, the license will be canceled permanently.

Nationwide sobriety standards for commercial bus and truck drivers, the most controversial part of the legislation, were set at .04% blood alcohol content, but implementation was delayed for two years, during which time the transportation secretary may approve a weaker standard.

Maryland, with the laxest standard of any state, sets the level at .13% for legal intoxication. Most states set the level at .10.

National minimum standards for licenses must be established by 1988. On Aug. 1, the Department of Transportation announced plans to issue such rules eventually but has objected to the Danforth legislation requiring the department to meet strict timetables.

The homeless amendments were inserted into the drug bill in late September by Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.).

The provision that allows the homeless to pay for their meals with food stamps is essentially an “indirect subsidy for shelters,” said Maria Foscarinis, director of the Washington office of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Stamps to Aid Shelters

The shelters will be able to use the stamps to augment their food supplies, a congressional staff member said.

Foscarinis said the provision, including elimination of the address requirement to receive VA benefits, allows the homeless “to be included in existing federal programs for the needy.”