DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing - Decoded!

**SmoothShifter** · 07.14.2012

Originally Posted by northstarfire0693

How far they can go back on a hair test ? I have heard 20 years, but I think its BS.

90 days. Anything farther is a legal infringement.

However, the hair will retain drug use as long is it's attached to your head. If you are a long haired freaky person, you need not apply. ( Just kidding - they can't hold it against you. )

**German Hammer-Rhoid** · 07.19.2012

....hehehehehe, that was funny !!!

**RobinBuddi** · 07.23.2012

I have a serious question. If a guy has a valid CDL in the state of Iowa, and was completely off duty and at home for over a week (not driving ANY type of vehicle) ..then, he'd been arrested for an alleged assault and subsequently found to be in possession of a very small amount of marijuana (less than a gram), ..would this later cause him problems getting his CDL reinstated.

Iowa does have a law in place where any possession of any kind of controlled substance requires the loss of the offending persons drivers license priveleges for 180 days.

My question is whether it will cause any problem getting CDL reinstated when the 180 days is over with.

Please advise. Thanks a million!!!

Rob

**Scarlet Termite** · 07.23.2012

I asked this once already but I think it got lost in the general discussion. I failed my drug test right at the get go. Am I untouchable now? I don't have my CDL yet, in fact I hadn't even finished my first week.
I made a mistake that I do not intend to repeat but I want to be a trucker very badly. It's something I've thought about doing for years. Local companies only want drivers with at least 2 years experience. Am I doomed? Should I give up?

**RobinBuddi** · 07.23.2012

BUMP

Very curious

**Status Transportation** · 07.24.2012

It depends on individual.

**Scarlet Termite** · 07.24.2012

@Status. So far, every big company I have spoken to has said, sorry zero tolerance even after I tell them that it was a mistake on my part. I've sent my cover letter explaining my situation and get the same response. I am thinking about just getting a local delivery driver job and do that for two/three years then try again.

**franktaylor** · 07.26.2012

Originally Posted by Scarlet Termite

@Status. So far, every big company I have spoken to has said, sorry zero tolerance even after I tell them that it was a mistake on my part. I've sent my cover letter explaining my situation and get the same response. I am thinking about just getting a local delivery driver job and do that for two/three years then try again.

i haven't read back at all the posts but i'm going through something similar right now. I drove for a year then failed. I can't even find a local job. I'm about just start applying to warehouses or manufacturing jobs. I've talked to a couple companies and they have said after 5 years on average i may be able to go OTR again. good luck to ya though. I started another thread looknig for someone who has actually been through this and is back OTR so i could learn from their experiences but all i seem to get it poeple who want to tell me about what a drug addict i am and how they are thankful i'm not on the road. hope to get some responses from someone soon and i'll loet you know what i hear. good luck to ya

**Scarlet Termite** · 07.28.2012

Thanks, Frank. I just read an article on Yahoo News about how OTR truckers are in demand but it's hard to become a trucker because of the expense of school and because of the DoT regs. It's killing me, seriously. I wanted to do this so badly. I still do. My husband and I went for a drive today and all the rigs I saw were just stabs to the heart. Yeah, yeah, I know that sounds melodramatic but it really does make me sad and angry at myself.

I've thought about writing to hiring managers personally to plead my case but then thought the better of it. I know that many of them would give me a chance if they could but the DoT and the liability won't let them, even if I went through the DAC counseling.

If I decided to go to a different truck driving school and passed the drug test there, I wonder if I'd still be screwed? I am thinking that if I could at least get a CDL I could get a local job.

**franktaylor** · 07.28.2012

i still dobnt' know everythign i need to know at this point but i'm trying to learn. Since it was a school thing and not an actual job i might get a copy of my dac and see if it's on there. I failed mine while employed so it's there. You can get a DAC report for free from something like hireright.com , not exactly sure of the address right now. Not that i condone lying but if it's not on there id try with another school. You'll always have that question, Have you ever refused or failed a drug test that you need to answer for the rest of your life but i'd say if it's not there move and and try. I haven't even had any luck getting any local companies interested in me. Looked into driving a city bus in nashville and there was the question. I understand i did something worong but this is the only industry where failing a test will haunt you for a long time if not forever. I get criticized all the time by drivers on here saying you knew the consequences you shouldn't ahve done it. Well i did know i could lose my current job but i don't think i everr realized it could affect the rest of my life. Another tip though that i read is that some guys who have gone through this put the SAP off and it doesn't count until you go through it, in other words the ending date or date you get your letter is when anytime will start as far as 3 years from incident.. also most local companies i've found want a couple years OTR expericence. Anyway i'll tell you what i've been told but still have to see, i'm sure it will work out one way or another. Not to lecture you but just remember these feelings and if it works out and you get on the road come home for a weekend and someone lights a joint i wouldn't even risk being near it for 2nd hand smoke let alone actually smoking. I'd start by getting the DAC report. The worst that could happen is you go to a new school and within a few days they tell you to leave because they found out you failed a test. good luck