I forgot to mention that I believe the level should be the same across the board for CDL's, pilots, and the general public. Why should a CDL or pilot be held to a higher standard when off work?
For people actually performing their jobs, it should be zero! No CDL or pilot should ever test positive for alcohol or any substance while on the job. I know that if I would test positive for alcohol, or any substance while on the job, I would not have to worry about showing up on time anymore. I would be placed on leave, license suspended with mandatory counseling. Pending completion, I may get my license reactivated.
CDL’s are held to the .04 limit when operating their personal vehicles because they only have one drivers license & it requires a .04 limit. Pilots are not because a drivers license is not a pilots license, the two aren’t tied together and you could be a professional pilot without even having a drivers license. I’m a pilot and if I get pulled over it’s none of the cops business, I’m not flying a plane. Pilot or not the BAC limit is the same as for any other driver.
Pilots licenses are federal, drivers licenses are state. I’m sure there’s some hard core control freaks at the FAA that would like to tie my pilots license to my drivers license but they probably can’t figure out a way to legally do it. The closest they’ve come so far is every six months when I have my physical I have to give them permission to check my drivers history for a DUI. They can pull your medical certificate and stop you flying that way.
When operating an airplane the rules are no more than .04 BAC, no drinking within 8 hours of show for flight duty and “free from the effects of alcohol” (not hungover). We show 1 hour prior to pushback so effectively we can’t drink within 9 hours of starting the airplane. Other nations don’t hold to this. If you fly on Air France there’s a good chance your pilots are drinking wine with their crew meals while flying the plane. When I was in the military I did a short TDY on an Italian Air Force base and their pilots would have wine with their lunch at the officers club then immediately go flying. Our American penchant for zero tolerance is rooted more in our puritanical desire to control others than anything to do with safety.
Note that even in the US the limit is not zero for anything. That would be unrealistic and impractical. A teetotaler can blow a .02, the test just isn’t that accurate and the body can manufacture its own alcohol.
