The Trucking Alliance is looking to Congress to pass a law which would require carriers to use hair testing instead of urine tests to determine driver drug use. According to the group, hair testing would screen out those drivers who abuse opioids.
Also known by its formal name, the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, the Trucking Alliance is made up largely of megacarriers. Members include U.S. Xpress, Swift/Knight, J.B. Hunt, Maverick, and more.
Large carriers have tried in the past to get the FMCSA to allow hair testing instead of urine testing since they say that it is more accurate (though that is a hotly debated topic) and can detect drug use in a wider time frame. But this time, instead of asking for hair testing to be used as an alternative, they now want it to be required for every single pre-employment drug screening.
“Current drug testing methods for truck drivers are failing,” said Lane Kidd, managing director of The Trucking Alliance.
According to the Trucking Alliance, using a standard urine tests, opioid use would be undetectable within a few hours. With hair testing, the window widens to 90 days.
Many Trucking Alliance members already do hair testing, but since the FMCSA still requires urine testing as well, these carriers have to double up. They claim that hair testing is catching a lot of drug users that otherwise would have slipped through the cracks.
“We’ve had 154 drivers at Maverick who failed their hair test, after they passed a urine test. Those 154 drivers are working for another company,” explained Dean Newell, Vice President of Safety and Driver Training at Maverick USA. “They’re running up and down the road with our families and that is not acceptable.”
But there have been multiple questions raised about the efficacy of hair testing – including whether or not it’s more likely to produce false positives than other methods.
Asking the FMCSA to help them save money by dropping the urine testing requirement didn’t work in the past. Now the Trucking Alliance is lobbying Congress to take the matter a step further. According to Lane Kidd, the managing director for the Trucking Alliance, Congress is expected to introduce legislation requiring hair testing in January of 2019.
Source: overdrive, psychemedics, ccj, truckersreport, truckersreport
Hey Maverick how about teaching those nut jobs you have behind the wheel to drive for starters. Maybe that would be a better place to start! If they aren’t going under the speed limit in the hammer lane they are speeding through a construction zone. Mega companies like you have all the answers and all the worst drivers!
Just big company rhetoric! Trying to run out the little guy, because it’s far more expensive to do hair. I’ve had both, and past.
Also, some do hair, and others do urine, it’s up to the individual company. Just like E-Logs, government just trying to dictate when we’re tired etc…
Well, the tighter you squeeze, watch! is already happening, more wrecks. Pushing for that drop/pickup time when we could have takin a nap, but no, there’s to much cash to be had.
If you push a law, you should have to partake in said industry to know what it is your talking about.
So damn right , who they going fool with when they go with driverless trucks
While I don’t know Maverick personally, their safety score speaks for itself. They have hundreds of inspections with no violations. Sounds like you are exaggerating!
Lorie Are you the public defender for Maverick they are right the company’s throw drivers in trucks and they have a driver trainer that can barely back up trying to teach another person and schools are a joke to You give them the cash and you get the license I had 4 or 5 guys running for me that went to school and they can’t even drive a manual trans and backing well that’s another story. You see these guys on the side of the road and they don’t even try to speed up before the merge in to the road and riding besides some one at 62 mph and they never look in their mirror it will look like a funeral behind them and they don’t care or the never look back I learned how to drive in the front seat of a truck and most of the best drivers ever to Drive didn’t go to driving school. Theses guys should have to ride with a trainer 6 months to a year and the instructor should have at least 10 years of driving before they try to teach someone els
You should do a little more research and see who the organization is that has done the majority of those inspections ~
Hey meatball i got 3.5 millon safe driver miles no tickets dont loop me into the hate for mega carriers😎
Maybe the drivers you’re referring to were jacked up on something. Way to go Maverick.
What a crock. After one pill ( in the last 10 years) when I was off due to a back injury, it was detectable the next day when I was called in for a random. The government needs to back off on what is done on days off. I don’t abuse any drug and this is ridiculous. Next thing you know they will want proof you took it crap before returning to work. Drs performing life saving surgery , judges, attorneys, police and even the SAP providers aren’t tested. I always hear there’s a trucker shortage, that doesn’t surprise me when the government dictates everything a driver does in their life while off duty
If you had a script for the med, you were covered.
If you were off work due to a back injury, a company cannot call you in for a random. They would use an alternate. Not any different than if you were on vacation.
DOT/FMCSA will be regulating drivers – whether on or off duty. They don’t dictate everything – stop exaggerating. They do require drivers to be awake, safe, and without drugs or alcohol in their systems. If that is too much to ask, find another profession. You’re making the rest of us look bad.
Lorie, the effects of pot diminish quickly but remnants remain in the body and use is tracable in hair follicles for weeks. The user is not impaired but will test positive under current testing standards up to 60 days after usage. The driver is not “on drugs” even though they will test positive.
Yes but you cannot need an ongoing script for chronic pain. That violates dot med standards. No card would be issued.
True if had a legal Rx from a doctor no reason to worry
Les your absolutely correct, had a wisdom tooth pulled and was given a very strong pain reliever that showed up positive on a drug test. The clinic that ran my test called and asked for my prescription, and the doctor that issued it. Took all of an hour after receiving, and verifying, that I had received the medication from my dentist, to clear up any problems.
If you have a script for you pain meds, all you have to do is show a copy no problem! But if they were not ordered by your Doc, guess what shame on you !
Well i I have proof to show that I legally use Canabis and obtain a CDL and driver for a company because I also obtain a prescription for medical use and when I went to take a random I let the testing facility know. The testing facility verified with Doctor. A Ok!😂 the testing facility cannot call your company and tell them what you use. They can only send the results pass/fail. At that you the driver gets notified first.
I’m all for ensuring a drug/ alcohol-free workplace by any reasonable means. The addicted mean no harm, I’m sure, but in an industry obsessed with issues like HOS in the interests of public safety, not overlooking substance-related safety compromises is a total no-brainer.
What the article doesn’t tell you, is there are a ton of false positives with hair follicle drug tests.
For example if somebody is smoking marijuana in your proximity it will show up.
Where I am from the smoke it in their car and don’t care about what the cops think.
I’m not a drug user but I have huge concerns about this as it’s basically another way to micro manage us.
Next they will test for alcohol and it will be the same argument.
Enough is enough!
No, a hair follicle test won’t come back positive for marijuana if you are exposed to secondhand or passive pot smoke. Barry Sample, Ph.D. and Director of Science and Technology for Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions to find out details on marijuana drug testing. Sample says, “Hair testing detects a pattern of repetitive use and does not detect recent or single (first time) use. Published, peer-reviewed studies to date have not demonstrated the reporting of a hair specimen as positive for marijuana use due to ‘passive’ or ‘incidental’ exposure.”
According to my VA lab hair test does pickup marihuana second hand smoke, nicotine smoke, and the new nicotine E Cigarettes’ , which all three are banned if you are receiving care from the VA !
This is just an excuse. Opioids stay in system 3 days LCD 3 days Coke 3 days. If they were so concerned they would have done it already for the more harsher drugs. This is another attempt to drive the smaller guy out of business. $150 for hair follicle test compared to $50 urine.
A HAIR FOLICLE TEST GOES BACK 90 DAYS ON ALL DRUGS. THAT INCLUDES COKE, OR METH, OR OPIOIDS
Good luck finding and keeping Drivers. Maybe we had enough and don’t want anymore scrutiny. This is a good way to push even more driver out of the industry, not because most of us use drugs, but because we sacrifice already enough. I strongly recommend to anyone thinking about becoming a Truck driver to stay away from all of the mega carriers. Once their puppy mills dry out this nonsense will stop.
Wonder if they will take a stool sample, I don’t have a hair on my body, more stupid bull from an already over regulated industry,
Hey I have a thought why doesn’t the government just stay out of trucking,
Maybe just Maybe we can attract,some new driver’s instead of
Making everyone afraid to even apply
Right. Self-regulation isimpossible. I talk to guys even two days ago that still drive 900 miles by manipulating their ELD. The guy said he drove more before ELDs. Yep, sure, Not government oversight is genius. eyeroll
So if the mega carriers are already doing hair tests, why do we need a law? Who cares if they are laying for two tests. They have the money!
I agree James, recently the initiated the new testing procedures starting in June that will include OXY and etc of the narcotic drug families, so there are steps already being taken to catch further drug usage in the urine testing. The hair testing or DNA testing as some mega carriers are already doing will allow them access to information that is protected by HIPPA laws. When doing this type of testing it reveals your history for 5 plus years before the test date. The carriers doing it right now have not had anyone go against them for invasion of privacy yet or they would not be doing it. The reason they want it changed by definition as pre-employment instead of DOT is so it will stop most of the liabilities of invasion of privacy
Incorrect…the hair tests can only test back 90 days
A standard one goes back 90 days but you can go back 5 years with more expensive testing. 90 days is just the lowest level of testing. You can go back tears it just costs more..
Apply for a company and sign their Drug & Alcohol policy and they can test whenever, wherever, however they want as it states in their policy that you agreed to when you signed it. DOT may only require urine drug tests and alcohol tests after an accident, but a company can send you for random, pre-employ Non-DOT drug and alcohol tests that include hair testing. HIPPA does not apply here – except how they store the records.
I went for a non CDL a hair follicle drug test mine came up positive for thc. I’ve NEVER smoked weed or cigs or done any type of drugs but because it came up positive I didn’t get the job. My husband smokes weed but according to the testing place it doesn’t work like that
It’s to put more costs on the smaller operations and force them out of business due to the fact hair testing is much more expensive .
If you can’t pay 150$ for a hair test for a new driver as a small ownerop then maybe you shouldn’t be in business. It’s really not much those guys don’t hire many drivers so it shouldn’t be a big deal to cough up a few hundred bucks a year to make sure you’re putting clean drivers in your trucks…
Has anyone explained to you that you constantly complaining about trying to brake O/O, or small fleet owners is totally without merit . Every penny that any trucking company spends on acquiring, testing , record keeping, and retention of drivers is a 100% deduction for that fiscal year!
So every carrier must perform a hair test.Not just the ones that can afford it.Good law!
And the costs of such tests will go way down
Right prices have been high and will not go down. What are you smoking ?
Because of their liability….and these carriers have a lot of it. They are currently not allowed to report the findings of hair tests…it’s for their own benefit. So if some idiot is lucky enough to have passed a urine test using synthetic urine, they are most likely to fail when tested after an accident….of course that means the end of that drivers career and possibly worse (recently life in prison for a driver who killed a woman testing positive for meth) it is very bad for the company…this is a major category in the csa.
I agree with you
All Carriers will lose over 50% of there drivers only because, they refuse to accept the fact the job is very stressful.
To sit in the driver seat ( as a Truck Driver) and watch a van carting mother/father of four under the influence drive to their death in front of you with or without children and the car is tragic. After seeing this is a nightmare you can’t but think about your family.
If your so in tuned with what others do, especially able to ascertain alcohol blood levels as they drive by you, maybe you should seek employment with the high way patrol !
What it comes down to is cheaper employees. Maverick has to pay employees that can pass a 90 day drug test more than another company pays for an employee that has only been off the pipe/needle for 3 days. maverick can even the playing field by pushing for a law that makes all companies do a 90 day drug test, which would make all drivers equal to the same pay. Think about it. It’s not about safety. Mega corporations don’t care about families driving in the sedan next to a drugged out truck driver, they care about profits, that’s why they have become a mega corporation….they penny pinch every aspect of there company. If you make all drivers equal, you’ll be able to drive their salary down. Just speaking the truth.
So if I get prescribed cough syrup to treat my cough that contains a opiate, this can be detected even months after I use it. I’d loose my job in this case, glad I live in Canada, because the USA keeps putting more road blocks against truckers pretty soon the industry will collapse. I agree with safe, non impaired driving, but they need to figure this out before they approve it, just like ELD, and how my friends who drive in the states are dealing with that issue. I’m just happy I’m in Canada so I can do the job I love without the government screwing up the industry.
Once you test positive for an opiate, the MRO will contact you to discuss. Provide a current prescription in your name for the drug found and your drug test will show as a negative result – and you don’t lose your job.
Canada is implementing ELDs by 2020. Get ready!
No
.it’s to catch people that take Them every day illegally.
Better stay up there too. This is going to get worse before it gets better !
“They’re running up and down the road with our families and that is not acceptable.” …. This is from the same people who are pushing for 80,000 lb trucks at 70 mph down the road with no driver whatsoever.
get a grip- automatic vehicles have developed and advanced in capability far faster than any of us could have reasonably expected- stats show the driverless tech is far safer ALREADY while it is still in it’s infancy. need a job ? cant do anything else ? go fly a kite.
automatic is the future.
deal with it.
Safe? Uber has already killed one woman with their self driving vehicle, Tesla killed the occupant of one of its self driving vehicles in a fiery crash, and several other accidents have occurred. This technology is not ready, has been pushed by nerds and greedy companies, who refuse to hire American workers at a pay rate commensurate with the job drivers are asked to do.
Drug testing is one way to weed out the idiot’s, another way is to have a law requiring all commercial vehicle drivers be born United States citizens, no exception.
Perfect
Most of the idiots are born in the south and are American born… How does that law help weed out the idiots? You moron lol…
To be brutally honest, the world will never be ready for self driving vehicles. Their are to many unpredictable factors that can arise from operating a vehicle with “Mr and Mrs John Q Public” out on the road. Not mention their children who have far less driving experience. Man can not and will not be ever to build a machine that can account for the human instinct. What about the distracted driver flying down the I5 in Upstate Washington in an area that’s riddled with construction. Talking on their cell phone as that pass you on the left. You look into their car and see that they are visibly upset with whomever they are talking to on the other end. They manage to get over in front of you in an acceptable manner and maintain proper speed and use of turn signals. The human driver would see that and know to slow down and give this person their space, because the likelihood of a crash occurring in the foreseeable future has risen. You also noticed this driver talking with their hands as they passed you earlier. You know, the drivers who completely let go of the steering wheel and point at their phones and make funny faces, those drivers. Well 20 miles down the road, you see the same vehicle sitting in a ditch mangled to pieces. An autonomous vehicle would have kept following that vehicle all the way up until the last moment just before they wrecked as long as everything was at the status quo prior to that incident. My belief is that the only way to introduce autonomous trucks, is to make all vehicles autonomous. Now when you pitch that idea to the automakers, they would be angry as hell, because no one would be able to drive their nice brand new cars on the roads again. You have to do for all, not just one. That’s my opinion, but who am I to chime in, I’m just a lonely ol truck driver. Lmao 😂
How many people have been killed by humans? And “per mile driven”, the computers are still kicking our butts, even with the fatalities.
How many times have human drivers accidentally killed someone who ran out into traffic? You wouldn’t blame the driver then, why blame the truck for the same situation?
The computer could be hacked from anywhere and controlled or it could be just a computer malfunction. A kid running after a ball a human could see a possibility of dangerous circumstances and adjust a computer would be an unconcerned killing machine on our highways .I wish this was a new and better way to keep our highways safe but it’s being pushed because of the money not saftey.
I am an immigrant, and never tried any drugs at all. I am legal and safe driver! And I am driver NOT because of shortage of drivers…your “another way” does not have any sense.
Amen!!!
” At least a five or ten year residency requirement. This should be endorsed by Homeland Security. “
What level of arrogance must one have to think only American-born CMV drivers are capable of driving a CMV? You don’t even hear yourself, do you? Of course not. Otherwise you wouldn’t have posted such arrogant drivel. Amazing.
What the hell is wrong with you ? Tell you what every one who cannot identify a blood lineage to the original settlement, or an Indian tribe, pack your junk and leave ! And this for Mark & Steven if you two drive for a living I feel sorry for your employer !
This is what appalls me, we send men and women across the waters to fight and prevent radicals from bringing that fight to or shores and pay them less than a pre-high school grad, and then some one has the audacity to complain about his $1200.00 week check not being enough!( $.42 cpm, X 3000 miles per wk )
stats show the driverless tech is far safer ALREADY while it is still in it’s infancy. What stats c.d.s. They have if it’s in its infancy?
Driverless isn’t safe you should do some research of why I said it and whatever job you have currently or in the future let technology take over your job you’ll have to deal with it, right?
I have a grip. 9 o’clock, and when traffic gets tight, 10 and 2 o’clock. When a driverless semi obliterates your family, you’re going to wish there had at least been a meth head behind the wheel so that your family had a chance.
Ask those families of those just killed on the Oklahoma turnpike if that’s true..
Ok…. dude let’s get something straight, auto trucks may have a slim aspect of use somewhere in future, But the reality is the only reason why they are being pushed is from these giant trucking companies/even Uber who want their profits increased Exponentially .They’re not just happy with being billionaires. As far as safety goes the testing done to date is very minimal And does not prove anything yet as far as safety goes. Anyone who would give an answer stating to “ just deal with it “ has no idea what they’re talking about. Either that or they stand to make huge financial gains. Truck drivers are the source that has put the capital in these giants hands. When I say testing has been minimal it is very minimal to date. If and when there are a couple million of these driverless big rigs on the road safety will prove to be a different claim. The only big picture being looked at here is putting even more billions and billions of dollars in these supercarriers pockets.
AMC
I wish there was a “like” button on here.
Well said, AMC.
” Driverless cargo vehicles are already in use,……..Trains ! “
Trains still have an engineer and conductor on board who typically control the train. If something breaks they try to fix it’s well
Ever seen the freight coming out of a rail box? Looks like garbage. Those automated vehicles will do the same, they’ll be set to corner at maximum ‘safe’ speed based on the weight of the trailer. At least a human can get a feel for the way a trailer is pulling, maybe take it a bit easier on the corners when the trailer feels off.
Wrong train engineers have it way worse than you do, and manage just fine bonehead you are shooting you mouth off about something you know nothing about !
Rambo that is a lie
The problem is that a computer can have a malfunction that puts the public in harm’s way due to that fact .A human can tell they are children playing around the area and know one might chase a ball out in the road and the computer has to either hard brake and skid out of control or ditch the rig it has no way to make the conscious choice which way to go to keep from causing harm to anyone else .I say anyone that has a computer driven auto should be charged for public endangerment
Wow…tell that to the mother of the person that the auto car ran over and killed crossing the street. Yes, soooooooo safe. When your loved one gets killed don’t cry when someone tells you to “deal with it”
What about when the computer fries? Or some other components fail? There will ALWAYS have to be a HUMAN BEING in the cab to take control and oversee the autodrive so it don’t KILL ANYONE. These are FACTS! DEAL WITH IT!
who takes care of the driver when he suffers a stroke or a heart attack or a “mental episode” where he just decides to run into people/things with his truck ?
Fact of the matter is you are all panicking because you know auto-drive is coming to push you out of your low-wage seat onto the street- if you are smart you work to get yourself ahead of the curve now (eg. go back to school and upgrade your abilities) or start thinking about what part of the country you’d rather be homeless in.
Yeah I wanna see that automated truck get out and out chains on in the mountains when it breaks traction lol.. Good luck with that automation.
I’m no fan of self driving trucks; but, I still believe that a computer driving a truck would be a lot safer than a drugged up driver.
Your still going to need a driver in those self driving trucks to do pre/post trip inspections,fueling etc its not going to happen any time soon.
terminal to terminal: how many ex-drivers do you think a terminal will need to do pre/post trip checks on the auto-driver units when they come in and before they go out ?
and how long before that position is deemed superfluous and killed from the payroll ?
tech is like a truck barreling down on the highway- dont imagine you can stop it by standing in it’s way
That is just going to create a new field of vocation already talked about ,Service attendants at fuel stops that do those equipment inspections, and communicate real time with the shipper of any discrepancies or needed repairs !
Good calll
Lol. No kidding. I hate when people say, “pretty soon trucks will be driving themselves.”. Um no there not. We’re that not far advanced yet. Especially after one if these computer driven cars kills someone
If the so called trucking alliance wants to make a positive change in trucking, let’s get the labor department to look at all the unpaid
wages they owe all these drivers that sit in their truck’s for hours on end day after day,no we can’t do that no sir,we just need more drug testing
random drug tests work just fine
and are more effective
Do you have a contract with a trucking Company in America that agrees to pay you waiting time ? That will be a first for me and I have been driving commercially since 1969 !
Seems like they’d have better luck asking for an either/or arrangement instead of trying to push for one over the other.
Recently they initiated the new testing procedures starting in June that will include OXY and etc of the narcotic drug families, so there are steps already being taken to catch further drug usage in the urine testing. The hair testing or DNA testing as some mega carriers are already doing will allow them access to information that is protected by HIPPA laws. When doing this type of testing it reveals your history for 5 plus years before the test date. The carriers doing it right now have not had anyone go against them for invasion of privacy yet or they would not be doing it. The reason they want it changed by definition as pre-employment instead of DOT is so it will stop most of the liabilities of invasion of privacy. As for people on the same highways with our families I agree, however don’t let fear tactics make you take up arms against the industry for there is a lot more others on the same roadways that can do just as much damage that no one is concerned with as much as they are the trucking industry
It’s been a while since I learned about HIPPA, but I’m relatively sure that doesn’t apply here.
One of the problems with follicle testing is: the metabolites attach themselves to pigment, therefore light colored or grey hair can give false negatives. It has been litigated as biased and potentially targeting (the darker you are the more likely you will have indicators).
HIPPA always applies
The legislation being offered does make mention of HIPPA, only that it will be required to be observed.
Where did you come up with 5 years?
“Five plus years before the test date” – Really? Talk About Fake New! A hair (substance) test is accurate for the last 90 days. Beyond 90 days, it might detect but the report will state that it is not sufficiently accurate to be definitive, and cannot be used. I question where you got the “five years plus information.”
how stupid can they be??? they ALREADY include opioids in the DOT drug test… waste of time and money… and the ones who are slipping through the cracks are the ones doing meth and 5hr energy hahaha
Hell I bet if you have a bad hair testing that showed opiods from 10 years ago from a surgery they will black list the driver period. This is just a way to push for them too adjustify buying all of these self driving semi truck so this way they can reap all of the money they get from a load
I know of a certain cop in marion nc police department who drinks every day..ON THE JOB..IS HE TESTED IN ANY WAY probably not..
Since hair testing can detect drugs/medications from 90 days or longer. That test does not mean because somebody tested positive they are using. Maybe somebody a script 3 months ago, they would test positive and that does not mean they are actively using or that they ever abused drugs.
Test positive at the hundred day level are declared unreliable and routinely discarded .
Even Urine tests have notation column for reporting scripts, just have to be smart enough to use them !
Hey jb,knight,swift and others you already have 200 or more trks sitting around your yards let’s make it more of your trks sitting sounds like a good idea to me.
Yes, and putting inexperienced drivers, taught by inexperienced drivers, in trucks daily…case in point..so called drivers being taught by idiots to ride the center lane often in trucks that cant even achieve the speed limit, ignoring signs and laws stating “slower traffic keep right”…what a joke.
These mega carriers don’t care about safety! The only thing they care about is making more money and eliminating their competition, just like they did when they paid off the lobbyists to implement eld’s all in the name of safety, which we all know is not safe.
I agree with you while heartedly. But trucks are not the only problem! Almost like no one,and I mean on one even looks at a four wheeler any more. !!! Call the police about a car driving wild and nothing gets done. All for hair drug testing but let’s bring a lot more too the floor!!!!
You are very right. Lack of training is most of the problem today. Schools are putting drivers on the road alone much quicker than they should.
It’s always funny to me when someone uses that excuse about not obeying the “slower traffic keep right” law just so they can disobey the speed limit laws. I’m not saying that a driver, car or truck, shouldn’t uses common sense and get out of the way of faster traffic, only that’s it’s funny they want someone to obey one law so they can break another.
Right on! My trk does 65 max & im gonna ride in the middle lane thru Chicago whether some super trucker steering wheel holder is riding 6 ft off my ass or not. I don’t have the luxury of a 70 mph trk w/ a passing gear so me riding in the right lane with constant merging traffic & hopping back & forth between lanes is more dangerous than me in the middle lane as long as Im still passing vehicles in the right lane. If you have the gas pedal then go around me in the right lane or 3rd lane then hop back into the middle lane so you can get behind another truck if you’re in such a hurry that you have to run 65-70 when everyone is running under that because of congestion. The tail-gating steering wheel holders seem to think they’re the only ones who have to be somewhere 2 hours ago. And I bet you drive a Volvo. Imagine that.
Glenn if a Truck is behind you in the center lane and can go faster than you then you should move over let them pass and then get back into the center lane. It’s called being polite to other drivers. Forcing a Truck to pass you on your left because you won’t move is putting lives In danger when you could simply move over. And the fact that your truck can’t do the speed limit is even more of a reason for you to move out of the way of other drivers. You are just causing traffic to back up and creating frustrated drivers.
Want to be carful running Okla. new law. Hanging in #2 on 3lane sections can get you $120.00 donation to Okla. gen fund
Good point!
Seems to me the real dopeheads are working for ATA. Theres a shortage of drivers?? Tired of dealing with these bullsh#t rules and regs only to see 95% of accidents and piss poor driving habits caused by ATA members trucks.
Agree to much regulations, they need to leave our industry alone!
Let’s put this 154 in perspective. 154 allegedly failed a company requied and company issues test out of how many thousands of applicants? These are carriers that are well known in the industry to have a revolving door policy. There is no reason the Federal government should bow to their wishes to enact yet another law.
What a Croc!! If these people really cared about safety they wouldn’t put their drivers in unsafe trucks! They wouldn’t encourage brand new drivers to train brand new drivers!! They would supply them with safe trailers/equipment, etc.!!! It’s about squeezing every dime out of the drivers they can.
I say do extensive drug testing and also those that pass increase their pay by dollar per mile.
Fuck ata and all this bullshit they bringing on to us i got pulled in to sc
ale today needed a permit .sticker wasnt good enough fuck it but as im snooping around i notice a billboard with some useful shit on it but what caught my was in big letters ELD OBJECTIVES 2 items stating how it will help drop insp time down to 35 minutes and another was also insp. Related but lastly this one said will help increase by 25% the sales of online permits not a goddamn thing about safety HOS wish motherfuckers would quit lying and just truth that they dont give a damn about nobody on road general public and especially us truckers their just trying to get their chunk of gold while its hot and milk the industry while doing it
One of the problems with follicle testing is: the metabolites attach themselves to pigment, therefore light colored or grey hair can give false negatives. It has been litigated as biased and potentially targeting (the darker you are the more likely you will have indicators).
Make marijuana legal and no one will want to abuse harder drugs.
You are correct sir. Amen
Lucas, are you impaired? Only a moron would think driving under the influence of marijuana, a mind altering drug, would be acceptable. There is never an excuse for operating any motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana or any other substance.
Personally I would like to see operating a cmv under the influence become a mandatory 20 year minimum prison term, without chance of parole, for the first offense.
Can we start burning books next.
He never said while driving. Marijuana laws would be the same as alcohol. Must be 21 and cannot drive while high.
Drivers do drive after massive consumption of alcohol. I do agree, alcohol n weed r one and the same. Its the irresponsible driver….
Mark Platt ,
Maybe you should check yourself before calling someone else a moron. First, legalizing Cannabis and removing it from the test list does NOT imply driving under the influence. You jumped to that conclusion. Just because something shows on the test doesn’t mean you’re “under the influence “. If you want a 20 yr mandatory sentence for first time offenders that’s fine. Your statement proves you’re clueless. Theres drivers out there on prescription medications every day so you just want to take their livelihood and toss them in prison? Best thing you can do is try thinking before speaking.
You seem to be the one behind the eight ball. Prescription drugs are legally consumed by drivers every day with no ill effects because the people are responsible, those drivers that consume alcohol while in a commercial driving status should be eliminated from the industry and barred ! Booze and weed are at best a recreational endeavor, just for you knowledge here are a few of the industries that restrict your involvement to partake if you are a user of either. US Coast Guard, and all military branches, Us Merchant Mariners, US Rail (All positions), All air lines operating in and out of US, All pilots, private and commercial, US longshoreman , Operating engineers, and HOV, CDL-A, & B and in certain circumstances C drivers. So you see it is just not any one group that is beyond scrutiny, And the dream of $1.00 per mile wage is an example of the lack of knowledge that some of these people have
Whatever i smoke a gram of weed a day and drive 400-500 miles.. it dont bother me at all.. glad i an an owner operator
Man I hope this “drop dead idiot” doesn’t drive.
Really?If the mega carriers wish to mandate this on thier drivers so be it.leave us smaller carriers alone.ive seen the quality of thier personnel and truley amused by this.i keep a grip on my guys and will never penalize them for thier past or mistakes in the presa nt and yes idiots training idiots is a true fact whether X-Military or a Gardner who wants to better him self you cant fix stupid.i know that some of the people how wish to implement these rules wouldnt pass a urine much less a hair.lmao!!start testeing your office personnel then your drivers .FACT :POSITIVE RESULTS ARE AT AN ALL TIME LOW YOU FLIPPN IDIOTS!!.
The truth is the drug test is the primary limiting factor to new drivers being hired. coupled with the DAC files. Most of you people do not understand the want the better part of the village to represent them NOT the least ! If you want job security and income stability get your act together. Keep your credit rating average or better, do not abandon their equipment, present your self as a professional with you interaction with the public and take care of you paperwork !
Let’s look a this a different way. The Maverick rep said it exactly. Many drivers who now fail Mav drug testing go elsewhere, to employers with less stringent requirements. Those with less stringent requirements OFTEN pay less. If we take the less desirable drivers completely out of the equation, those places will find it necessary to offer better pay to atract eligible drivers. This helps all of us as it immediately decreases the total number of drivers available for all jobs while increasing the pay for lowered tier jobs. The increased pay for those lower tier jobs will lead to increased pay for the other jobs higher up the ladder. Supply and demand. So, bring on any and all testing improvements.
Are you impaired in someway? Do you believe everything your brain (if you have one) sends to your hands and or mouth?.
That is quite the rebuttal there, sk.
Thank you
Do you actually believe ATA companies pay more? If you do you’re a special kind of stupid. Not getting hired at a bottom feeder company like Maverick would be a blessing so then you could go make real money at a small independently owned company. Furthermore hair testing is a farce. It often times will show a false positive. Hair is affected by environment not just consumption. How are you going to feel when you fail a drug test but haven’t consumed any drugs? Why is everyone always asking for more government intervention and then surprised when government only makes things worse?
Thank you.
In hunt tests hair and played me $400-$600/w/k.
Jb hunt. Auto correct got me
So what you and those Maverick reps are saying if you been clean for 5 years your still not good enough for driving a rig because they won’t touch you for a minimum of 10 years and they will be pushing for it to be longer. And they will disqualify you for just being on a opioid from surgery. This has nothing to do with safety it’s to get a monopoly on the market.
” These rules that are being implemented by the Mega Trucking Companies will come back and bite them in the ass. In their zest to curtail the O/Os, they will shrivel up and die and only the Independents can pull the Country out of the commodity recession ! ” They act like Congress,……..two entities without a thought between them ! ” They want to get so big, that like A.I.G, or GM., the Government will have to bail them out. “
I would definitely have to disagree there with the pay because the mega carrier don’t pay much compared to smaller companies I witnessed that first hand so I think you are telling a story there do your research and stop being a number and called more by your name facts
I doubt very seriously you are making 12 to 15 hundred a week, be careful about what you say. I have been both and the company driver situation is much easier and less stress than O/O, and if you research the companies, like most do their employees odds are good you can find a good fit. I did Just sayin
Those with less stringent requirements OFTEN pay less – sorry but that is a false statement. Most companies drug test only urine because it is what is required by law. Some do hair by their own choice. Mega carriers aren’t paying drivers hundreds or thousands of dollars more. The pay is pretty much the same for the type of trucking you’re doing, your csa score, and the experience you have.
I am all for drug testing but I just find it so ironic that people that work we have to get drug tested people that are on welfare don’t somehow it’s against their Civil Right
Yeah, and those of us who work and get tested are the ones PAYING for the welfare bums.
les, is everybody on welfare a bum?
Would you be a bum if the bottom fell out on you?
I love when smaller government types want to build another government wing and pay out literally hundreds of millions of dollars for a program to drug test people who take drugs about as much as the general public.. you go comrade!
Apparently people on welfare aren”t driving big rigs now are they brainiac? So tell me what do people on welfare have to do with this article?
No. What’s ironic is the fact that there r ppl that spend 168/hrs a week at work n make so little that their families qualify for welfare. I’ve had drivers buy my groceries n exchange for me buying them cigs. Yes we should b tested because we r in a safety sensitive industry. Welfare is not. If drivers invested equal energies into discussing the true inadequacies of this industry, perhaps things would improve, thus attracting a higher quality of driver. Right?
10-4 Zavetta. 🙂
Welfare is a program that needs to be deleted completely. Very few on welfare work. Creates low life, no self esteem, bottom feeders that always have their hands out. Do not reward irresponsible behavior. As to your other point, yes it would help to discuss matters that would address the current problems in a positive manner.
I suppose from you remark about work you think they should be paid for the time they are sitting in a coffee shop for 4hrs, or some beer tavern having their daily sleep aid, or even better while they sleep wow would that not be great, probably why he or she has such an attitude> When you go to driving school one of the first things they tell you is, this job involves being away from home from 8 days to as many as 60 or more depending on the carrier, and if you do not feel comfortable committing to that, maybe this vocation is not for you
So if a driver smoked a joint 4 years ago he should not be allowed to drive a truck today. Would it matter if a driver had a prescription as to why he had a certain drug in his system. I had shoulder surgery a few years back and was given pain medicine during recovery. I did not get hooked and have not taken any since. Im curious how this would effect people in those cases
The painkiller not a problem will be in your medical records, the weed different story, but will not show up on a hair test
No fair what if a person has stop doing drugs 1,2,or 3 years ago or for that matter 2,3 6 months will they not get a job for there pass
I was tested @’ Kinght with hair & urin samples befor I was even halfway through the front door !! 18wheels and drug abuse don’t mix !! I say test hair every 90 Days !!! My family’s out there on the interstate.
The bigger compaines want to place an increased burden on the smaller mom&pop compaines. It’s all about money.If knight swift and all those other dirtbag compaines can impose their way if we let them then they shall.
I think everyone should do the hair test including the owners of the company why should we have to work for a drug head. And I would like to see the ones setting at home not working waiting on those checks to come in have to do hair testing.
If a person is driving a CMC and gets a DWI/ DUI they should loses their license for ever, and never let them get another one, make them walk or ride a bicycle!!!
Draconian much?
Maverick USA claims that the drivers that failed their testing exam are now working at other trucking companies. Well, either Maverick is lying just to make a false example (which means their entire legitimacy for pushing hair testing is bogus) OR Maverick is spying on those individuals to learn what they are doing after they leave the offices of Maverick USA, and those individuals should sue Maverick. I propose that Maverick USA be investigated.
Hell you notice that they don’t even say if the people are chronic drug users only just 154 people failed drug screening only listing half truths too push a agenda
As far as the driver shorted if the greedy companies would restore full power to the trucks and let us do the posted speed limit and get rid of the collection systems that don’t work right, and pay a decent wage,the good drivers would stay;!! I have drove for over 9yrs and never had a at fault wreck and none of the trucks had a collision system on them, it’s unnecessary crap…
It seems like there is a lot bs going on in trucking industry, these big carriers pay to their drivers like .37cpm or somewhere around there, which is a joke. now they got these bs led logs, like wtf? and truckers who make money for the carriers they dont give 2 flying fuc7s about the driver. so i believe since they are tightening the laws and etc, all the drivers should go on a strike for at least 1 day or more. to show the government that the USA economy depends on us (drivers) and not those big carriers. We need our voices to be heard and have a min at like between .50 to .60cpm from start. Why nurses and other people can go on strike, and drivers cant??? We should choose a future day, and go on strike all at once, and stop if you have to wherever you are at that point. TURN ENGINE OFF. As far as drug testing, i got no problem at all.
Regarding the 154 drivers they claim were caught using hair test, the hair test is a non DOT test and can test for anything, while the DOT urine test is limited at what it can test. Urine testing may have caught those 154 if it were testing for the same substances.
Marijuana is now legal for most of the US population, they need start treating it like alcohol and test for impairment on the job. Going back years with a hair test for a legal substance is way too intrusive.
You need to come down out of your self induced cloud I think the list is considerably less than what you report, and it is still a federal law that requires any driver licensed to drive a HOV on the highways of the US including those states that have passed legislation about weed ,to be DRUG and AlCOHOL free, Even the drivers licensed in those states must comply with the drug testing rules
It’s never enough is it the trucking industry is being killed, people dont fight for the truck but will realise the groceries will cease, jobs gone, sad the government is looked at like they own this country an people want daddy gov to take care of them good luck just get more laws that’ll fix it
No other industry has seen incomes rising as fast as trucking since 2012… Maybe its not dying? Just kicking out the bums…
That’s crazy dude I made as much in 97 as I do now
have you all seen the you tube video put out by a UC Berkeley professor About AI? How it can be used to hunt down and kill people that don’t fit the profile it the elite?
AI and computer programs are only as good as the programmer and hardware designer.
Self driving vehicles is being brought to by the same type of people that brought you the opioid epidemic in the crack epidemic of the 1980s .
Who are they? They are “ intellectual” they are the real problem.
Intellectualism is eight region. Is a religion laziness and people who lack the ability to do work, to produce a product that is actually needed for the survival of the species. It’s a religion of self loathing, and lack of compassion for fellow human beings. It’s a religion of competition and egotism and narcissism. It’s a religion of discrimination, and self elevation to a prideful self loathing existence of egotistical superiority.
They’re the same people who brought you slavery, work houses in Europe, the atomic bomb, global warming or climate change, they’re the same people who brought the great depression, and all of the receptions. And all of the boom bust cycles of the economy. And they are the same people who brought idealism of eugenics, invented terms like retarded, cracker, and the IQ test.
They’re the same people who brought you FEMA camps. Authorized by Ronald Reagan a great communicator and the biggest racist of recent years to ever be the president. Sole purpose of the favorite camp is to exterminate the least authorized by Ronald Ragan great communicator and the biggest racist of recent years ever be the president. Soul purpose FEMA camp is to exterminate waste people. Read the executive order authorizing .
And last. The same people brought you the death of the union by killing Jimmy Hoffa.
Kind of strange where is jimmy? Odd coincidence he disappeared at the same time that was a labor dispute shortly there after with laborers working on a “trump” project. Is Hoffa in the foundation of Trump tower or some other project?
Yeah we can’t have a cracker like Hoffa just walking around jobsites creating animosity. Words or Trump.
So hair testing and self driving trucks is just another tool to shore up the status quo.
So to make the law constitutional hundred the equal protection guaranteed by the Constitution
Air testing should be all transportation workers that would include people in warehouses in the office the dispatchers etc. and it should be mandatory annual h care testing should be all transportation workers that would include people in warehouses in the office the dispatchers etc. and it should be mandatory annually To ensure an absolute drug-free work environment. It should also apply to every citizen of the country what the hell then we can easily create a new industry of testing people that will create jobs and then we can send the drug attic’s to the FEMA camps To have their heads cut off.
The companies that have been consumed by “corporate entities” are going to wreak havoc. They have to be dealt with or we are all going to be done.
Nothing more than a ruse to bolster thier false claim of a driver shortage and to create a driver shortage when the real truth is, there’s a shortage of drivers willing to do the same job for less money, thus the bottom feeders make more profits.
Alright then, make it law! The loophole will be, get clean for 3 months, apply, get hair tested and pass, get hired, then go back to using. Then it becomes a gamble just like any other drug and a random urine or hair test.
Get your Driverless trucks.
Thats your goal more than likely.
Wish you the best Mr. Williams.
Have a wonderful flight.
If they failed a drug test at Maverick how are they working for another company ?
If they pass this legislation. Then marijuana should be legal for recreational use. If a driver ONLY uses during hometime or vacation then he shouldn’t be penalised for a positive screening. If you don’t agree with me, then I suggest you feel alcohol should be illegal as well
I’m all for it, once all public servants including senators and congressmen have to submit to the same tests!
Yes, because if the thousands of regulations presently on the books have failed by their own admission, just one more regulation will stem the tide. Lack of safety couldn’t possibly have anything to do with training standards or anything like that. We must now invade the privacy of those willing to work, and root out all possibility that anyone will gain interest in driving. Absolutely genius idea😆
“If you want swift, permanent, and immediate justice, go to Hell. Seriously.”-Anonymous
whats a point leaving a comment on here, if its been modified or deleted. all truckers should go on strike and make those big companies increase the truckers pay. US economy depends on us. and min .37cpm or somewhere in that range is bs, besides with all the restrictions and bs that we have to put up with.
I am 61 y/o. I’ve never had a ticket nor an accident.
I was refused a job at Schneider, that would have gotten me home every week, because my hair is TOO SHORT.
I’ve had a crew cut since I was young in the 1960’s.
Concentra, contracted by Schneider, stated my hair had to be at least three inches long.
I’ve never considered that looking like a hippy was a career enhancer ! ! !
That is 3 centimeters, not 3 inches. 3 cm = 1.18 in.
That sounds like discrimination…they could have taken hair from another spot..
Testing with hair is fine as long as every person in any job that is urine tested is also hair tested, otherwise it is discrimination.
How much more? How much more of this one by one picking away of your freedoms are you going to take america? Everyday they are taking away your freedoms in the name of safety and sercurity? Please if theres any hope left in this country…..wake up!
What these so called mega company’s are trying to do is weed out the small company’s! Greed greed is the name of the Game! Why don’t they do that for regular lazy people that get welfare on and get those people of their butts! Lobby for that jerks and leave hard workers alone but if drivers mess up fire them!
I’m against this hair testing. It is an invasion of privacy for one and two they are taking your DNA. I don’t care what they claim , you have now given them dna sample and who knows where that sample goes once it’s tested for drugs. I just think it is stupid and most pain medicines now have opiods in them. I don’t bother with the big companies anymore there just a bunch of blood sucking liars. I just see this as another way to squeeze money out of the drivers , next thing you know we will have to pay for the hair test ourselves. I’m against this lame ass law.
Hell you notice that they don’t even say if the people are chronic drug users only just 154 people failed drug screening only listing half truths too push a agenda
If it’s not in your urine or blood, it’s not affecting how you drive. This new push for DNA samples is overreach. And we share the road with a bunch of un- tested 4 wheelers .
I agree with drug testing but when you cross the line of obtaining something from my person to use which is sustainable tangible to be used or stored. Who knows what they do with your hair sample DNA etc as soon as you sign and release it’s their property no longer yours. What is this society coming to. Your privacy rights are being violated. They can draw blood the shelf life on serum and plasma are a lot shorter and a disclaimer of destroy. HIPPA laws and lawyer are going to have a field day with this. Padoras box is opening. This is why I will not work for these publicly traded companies they are not doing this in the name of safety look deeper to their motives
I am strongly against using drugs and driving a truck. I have been driving over 13 years. During that time I have been issued many ransoms and a post accident drug screen. However I know a lot of people who use marijuana on a daily basis. Sometimes I am around them a lot. Studies show that test is very inaccurate. Inaccurate meaning it tends to show false positives. A case brought before a court a while back in Boston involving police officers sided with the officers. The officers took hair test and showed positive for drugs. Well it was a false positive. I am clearly against hair testing due to that reason.
It has been proven that you can go and eat a couple of hamburgers with poppy seeds on the bun..and start turning up false positives..now these false possitives are stored in your hair..
This is really just a way to get rid of even more drivers and drastically reduce drivers from entering the field. Say you turn 21 and get your CDL. Company requires hair test and you fail because 89 days ago before you even had your CDL you smoked. This will stop a large percentage of people from even joining the field. The companies that can afford the drug tests and are big enough that they still attract people have 2 options. 1 they now can buy up more contracts because they have mote drivers to run the freight expanding the monopoly 2 Lack of drivers further pushes the research in automation.. I understand that’s the future but the initial impact is going to be devastating
Where is your freedom? You’ve given it all away!
You don’t care if someone pokes around in your private life, tells you what you can and can’t do.
In my opinion, In your work-hours that’s fine for your employer to tell you NOT to drink, smoke, etc. But, to tell you what to do on your own time, when you are not behind the wheel? That is not freedom. I want my Liberty promised by the constitution.
If you think the government or employers should control your whole life, you are a “loser.” You are a “loser” of freedom!!! Just go ahead and give up your guns too and every/all decisions. You don’t want to be personally responsible for your freedom. Ask them to tell you what church you must attend? What food you have to eat? Etc, etc. Just give it all away “Loser!”
Here’s my experience with that. My hair is down below my waist and even though they say that they can take hair from anywhere, the tester just took her scissors and in one wack, took a 1/2 in in diameter chunk off, and I am looking at her in shock at what just happened. a year later, the company asked me to get another hair done, I reluctantly went and told the tester what happened. he said that the previous examiner was lazy and they should not have done it that way.
Soooo whatcha going to do if the driver has no hair…shaves their body..and is a well qualified driver? Toss him out the door? And is that not DISCRIMINATING against people with long hair such as women? The pee in the bottle test has worked rather well for the last 20 plus years in picking up opiates along with the other drugs that they test..and i dont know about you.. but im tired of these same few mega carriers forcing all of these laws and regulations on me and my company..none of them have been a benefit to anyone else but them…
But its ok for everyone to drive cars up and down our roads without being drug tested, granted an 18 wheeler is a big dangerous vehicle, but all vehicles are dangerous so whats the point of drug testing some vehicle drivers and not all.
This industry is a joke how many ppl are driving up and down the road says under the influence and not driving truck ? I bet third numbers are stunning . You can’t safe proof the world .
These big carriers are destroying the industry. Follicle tests go back 3 months. Complete invasion of someone’s personal life and past that has nothing to do with safety. It’s all about these behemoths controlling the industry. They are so worried about safety they hire people with little to no experience. They’ve taken control by lowering freight prices and driver pay. The Institute is nothing more than a lobby firm to buy regulations under the guise of safety..
I was at oreintation with Knight. They kept saying they were going to fire us . Fire us for everything. Why not just fire us all now since that is all you knight people keep talking about ? More and more drug testing to fire more and more drivers. Total S hole companies … knight werner swift.
Why instead of this crap the government Don’t pay attention to more important things like why we don’t get paid when we are doing a reset ?? Fire fighters get paid for sleeping , why we have to give 3 hours for free picking up and 3 more hours unloading a truck ?? Why ???
I’ll submit to hair testing when ALL POLITICIANS, regardless of what branch and wether they’re local, state , or national submit to hair testing AND RESULTS ARE MADE PUBLIC.
I’ll submit to hair testing when ALL POLITICIANS, regardless of what branch and wether they’re local, state , or national submit to hair testing AND RESULTS ARE MADE PUBLIC.
These carriers need to realize that what a driver does before they’re a driver is none of their F N business. If you want to hair test drivers at or after 90-days on your payroll, that’s up to you. Screening for non-relevant data prior to becoming an employee is an outright injustice for people who have used legal, prescription opioids prior to starting in the industry (such as myself).
I had a horrible, debilitating condition they hadn’t been able to treat prior to my becoming a truck driver and the only way they could treat it at that time was with pain medication. Once they found out what it was and treated it with proper (non-opioid) drugs, I didn’t need the pain mediation anymore, but the drug would still be in my hair if it was tested.
It’s an unfair, disgusting breach of rights they are proposing and I hope it gets thrown out with prejudice.
Geez man do your homework. If you have a valid prescription for a drug found, you show it to the MRO and no positive test. The test would show as Negative. It is those who save unused pain meds for years, or buy/borrow from family/friends that get a positive test result.
Who wants drivers on the road who are self medicating? I don’t.
How about all drivers for these unscrupulous proverbial hamster wheels organize and form a union asap ? To hec wilth these greedy corporate shills. You guys either stand for something or continue grabbing your ankles and whining about what you can’t afford to do !!!
OK I’m all for drug testing for everything but shouldn’t everybody be required in the industry to take a drug test including the people behind the desk why should it be impose just on the drivers why not the recruiters and the owners and everybody else involved in the big mega corporations isn’t that fair
Sick of the Government in every aspect of our life in America. I for one do not want drug users driving trucks, but then let us enforce it for all who get any type of transportation license. Including cars, and citizens.
But first let us start with the Government employees who work for the American people. Drug test all of them first.
the debate is not limited to the trucking jobs. the insurance companys are the driving force to minimize potential legal problems in the transportation industry. this includes marine -airline-railroad etc. remember 911? there are valid points to a pro-con position as it pertains to drug testing. try passing a background check for the fbi or homeland security. whatever position you take, in all fairness of the debate there is a plethora of condrumdrum and sticky issues that need to be worked thru as this works its way thru the changes in our world. a burden of cool and calm intelligient leaders in our government carry this obligation to lead and answer this issue as it evolves.it is imperitive that the transportation industry leaders understand that this is process that is unfolding and stays commited to keeping its drivers safegarded from overregulated or intrusive regulations that require disclosure of medical history that is currently restricted. this is why you sign a waiver in the pre-employment process that permits the employer to conduct drug testing . there are no easy solutions or quick fixes. if this is a cause for you to take action and become involved then it is a positive contribution. as a group,as a company,as an industry in all transportation related jobs we all share a responsibility. yes i did refer to the concept of government leadership=yes that is an issue in and of itself. as working men and women in the trucking buisness we need solidarity and representation. can you contribute to this without going ballistic or hunkering down in concrete? thank you for your consideration to my comments and poor spelling.
Enough is enough. I cannot believe the companies are able to keep enough drivers as it is… between the regulation, the time commitment and the shit pay…I cannot believe the truck drivers still drive. And why they haven’t come together and just took a day off all at once to show the country (once again) how reliant we are on truck drivers for daily needs.
Isn’t it funny how last year there was a study done that resulted in the drug testing requirements being lowered from 50% per year to 25% per year. Also requested by these same companies because the failure rate had declined so much.
Remember pot used to be a crazy psycho gateway drug ? And now it’s a cure all for young and old. How about good ok pure benzedrines, cross tops, whites. What about qualudes or barbiturates, reds ? They have all fallen to the wayside for safer drugs. Now the safer drugs are not safe. If you have a habit, be it narcotics, alcohol, smoking, food, laziness, etc there are other conditions detrimental and apparent. Any responsible friend or employer would point that out to you. But NO. We need a “test” that lumps you in a bucket of losers. Thanks Big Brother. On the not so lighter side I am seeing POTUS as an enemy to truck drivers. Sorry. Just the I see it.
I would rather be on the “Road” with professional drivers that have in the past used presribed opiod pain killers for medical reasons than any driver that has been through a 6 Week “Crash” Course in Truck Driving School. That is a large part of the problem on roads today!!! You cannot learn everything in 6 weeks about anything. I’ve been in this occupation for over 30 yerars…and I’m still learning. “When your green your growin’…When your ripe, You Bust. Be Safe Yall & GOD Bless You & your families. PS. Government always goes after the Low Hanging Fruit!!! Ten FO!!!
This story and all of the accompanying comments convince me of one thing: it’s time for me to get out.
No, I don’t do drugs or alcohol, and I am all for safety in our workplace. But I am concerned about privacy, surveillance, and the very real possibility that the intelligence collected would, at some point, be used against U.S. citizens.
I respect the opinions of those that believe such testing is appropriate, and harbor no I’ll will towards them. I just happen to believe differently.
I for one, will never willingly submit to an Ubernator.. AI is quick but it will never have the intuition that I use umpteen times an hour while driving..
Kudos, Maverick. What you probably caught were pot smokers that used within the last 45-60 days. Not exactly a chronic user but rather your run-of-the-mill recreational user that most likely will be legally protected as America rightly moves to a sane stance on marijuana users. Yep, outstanding job there, Mave. You really got the baddies off the road. smfh
If Maverick wants it , I almost always say look deeper behind the reason. Maverick pushed so hard for ELD and there in bed with the ATA. I think Maverick would love to keep pushing and pushing until they could do away with the Independant truckers.
If it is so much better why is it you can use it in a civil case (family law)?
All this will do is catch more occasional pot smokers
Most likely it won’t. THC, the active ingredient of cannabis does not bind very well to hair shafts. Hair follicle tests are only good at at detecting chronic potheads and even then it’s still dubious.
OK, drug use-drug testing law’s, political and industry mandates and motivations, why does anyone drive for any company and put their self in this work enviroment? If it’s such a lousy way to make money then why do it?
hey driver,check this out. the trucking industry just love’s it when it’s hard working and dedicated drivers get caught-up in this forums topic of drug testing. anything to distract you from being financially compensated for your work. this very website has become a tool for their manipulation. ask yourself why the comment moderator screens out comments like mine. hey moderator-do the right thing and post this and allow drivers to give feedback.
First of all, hair drug screening is not a very accurate form of drug testing. In fact it can be outright discriminatory against people with thick hair shafts. It is quite possible to accumulate small quantities of illicit drugs in the hair just through everyday exposure. This has been scientifically proven. Too many false positives.
Secondly, I am far more concerned about unhealthy overweight drivers that are on the verge of having a heart attack behind the wheel because they don’t take care of themselves physically. Just the other day I saw a guy who is so obese when he climbed out of his cab he couldn’t even make it halfway down his trailer before stopping so he could rest. This is much more unacceptable then spending millions of dollars by trucking companies trying to catch the occasional pothead who smokes on the weekends.
This really has nothing to do about safety or the urine tests not working. This is so transparent. The reason these bigger companies want hair as the standard testing is also cause they know that forces a lot of small company’s out of action. Having worked for a lab I can tell you that positively that testing for hair is nearly 3 times the cost of a standard UA.. Sure your mega carriers have no problem footing that bill. But for your smaller guys this would be crippling.. This is just big trucking corporations way of again making it hard on little guys..market control. That’s all this is..
JB Hunt knows it’s not gonna work. They were sued by a couple of drivers who refused their hair test. Needless to say the drivers won.
I was tested non CDL A drug test hair follicle it came back positive for THC. I’ve NEVER SMOKED anything. My husband smokes was told it doesn’t work like that .. so how did thc get in my hair. I’m proud to have a CDL A wouldn’t do anything to lose it
Like every other law……we promise, freight will go up…lololol.