After multiple trucking industry groups have voiced their problems with a new measure that would let carriers use hair testing to fulfill the drug testing requirements for commercial truck drivers, the ATA has come down staunchly in support of the legislation.
The change had been proposed as part of the DRIVE Act highway bill, but soon after, a group of 17 worker’s advocate associations including the Teamsters, a branch of the AFL-CIO, and the ACLU asked members of Congress to reject the change which was passed in the Senate.
All 17 groups formed a coalition which submitted the request to members of Congress by writing a letter.
While hair testing is considered to be a more sensitive testing mechanism than the standard urine test, there are concerns that it is less reliable and make actually be too sensitive. The group claims that “it is widely known” that hair may test positive for a drug even if the donor “was merely exposed to but never actually ingested.”
“We urge the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to reject efforts to allow hair to be used for federal drug tests before the validity and reliability of this testing method can be determined by the Department of Health and Human Services,” writes the group.
The ATA and many large carriers disagree with the group, claiming that the tests are more accurate and can show potential drug usage in a larger time frame than urine tests.
Many carriers already require hair testing, but since urine testing is the only federally-approved method of drug testing, they must administer and pay for both tests. The proposed legislation would allow carriers to no longer have to pay for a urine exam.
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Source: truckinginfo, overdrive, fleetowner
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Geo says
So people that do drugs and shave all the hair off their body
are exempt from this then? Sweet so that settles it then.
jc says
You slaves will submit to your master, I mean carrier
Robert says
Another hair brain idea? like the other driver said just shave your head. This is like those idiots who want to drug test unemployment recipients. It will cost far more then it ever returns. Drug test congress instead?
Anthony says
I agree…Drug test all the politicians. That’s why they won’t make polygraphs admissible in court…Politicians would fail them every time!
Gino says
I think That those of us with nothing to hide would rather do the hair thing then to have to mess around with piss.
Brian says
Ditto
Brian says
Gino said it best.
Kenneth Sawyer says
There are some of that don’t have to shave their heads lol I haven’t heard of them taking hair from anyplace but the head. So my question is would arm hair be as effective?
MovingForward says
In light of my bald head, I’ve had them take hair from my chest twice and they didn’t seem to think twice about using that location so it must happen on a fairly regular basis.
James Pursell says
I have been certified to collect hair samples. If the hair on the head is not long enough, you can take it from the arm pit or even the legs. Its not exclusive to the head. What drivers need to do is say enough!!!!!!!! If every driver refused to give a hair sample, carriers would drop it in a second. Like Ben Franklin said, to sacrifice privacy for a little security, the person who does so, does no deserve either.
J Carter says
Just like, don’t do drugs. You don’t, you don’t have anything to worry about.
But I can definitely see a point to this. Nobody wants an impaired driver behind the wheel of an 80-thousand-pound vehicle. Drivers who are driving them while impaired need to be gotten off of the road. If it’s urine tests, hair tests, or even toenail tests, whatever, let’s do it and get drug users out from in behind the wheels of trucks.
Jo badoka says
What I do on my own time is my business. Give a drug test like an alcohol breath test. No reason to go back 30 to 90 days on a driver to see if he smoked a joint. No wonder the industry is short on drivers.