just out of school where to go

I really love seeing all the drug questions on here too. I also thought that hair follicle tests went further back than 6 months. Most companies do urine tests, but a few do hair. Roehl is hair for example, they said 6 months.

JUST STOP SMOKING NOW! You're gonna have to accept that you can't do drugs anymore when you're a trucker, even on home time. These companies are forced to do random drug tests, so don't take your chances thinking they won't pick you, because it could end your career. If you're worried about not passing a follicle test, e mail the company or call a recruiter (not from your primary or listed phone numbers) and ask how they drug test. If you only just stopped smoking, you're probably going to have to suck it up and realize that the few companies (there aren't that many) that hair test are not going to be an option for you.

 

Hair tests for drugs check back 90 days in this industry, that's it. Yes, they CAN go further but for the trucking industry they only check 90 days because that is all the company can testify to in a court of law regarding the absolute accuracy of the test in regard to the time checked. FWIW, some trucking companies have drug policies above and beyond what is required by the normal lab certification tests. For example, I know of a company (non-trucking) that has a contract with a trucking company to deliver their goods. The non-trucking company does hair testing with a lab claiming it tests back to six months. The trucking company had to sign an agreement with the non-trucking company that its drivers, if asked/requested, would comply with the non-trucking company's drug policy in order to secure the contract. Technically, this means the driver could be tested by the non-trucking company's lab for a period of more than 90 days. I haven't heard of this occurring but it would be interesting to see where this would go IF a driver provided a dirty urine in regard to a period prior to the 90 day mark since this remains somewhat of a gray area.

My prediction is the DOT will eventually permit hair testing. Several trucking companies are lobbying for it now.

 

I could be completely wrong about this, but I don't see what legal hold up in court has to do with drug tests. If a company runs their own drug test and it comes back dirty, they can fire you. They can fire you for whatever they want. Only place I see the 90 day legal limitation mattering is for the ability for your company to put it into your background that you failed a drug test.

Roehl's recruiter told me flat out that they check 6 months back on the hair follicle.

 

You don't understand that a drug test must be accurate and done within the scope of the law? You don't think drug tests must adhere to any law?

A trucking company can't administer its own drug tests. It MUST be done in accordance with DOT law, rules and regulations with the exception of a hair test and a hair test isn't reportable to DOT only to private companies like DAC.

See Gryphon's post here:
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...-dot-drug-and-alcohol-testing-decoded-24.html

He used to administer the tests and is a treasure of knowledge regarding drug tests. Here is his quote, "The "legal cut-off" for hair testing is the detection window that the testing lab is willing to testify to in court and that has been standardized at 90-days."

Whoever told you that at Roehl lied ... as many recruiters do.

Now you know.

 

The company can do your hair follicle test and get the results for 3 months, why can't they just look at it for 6 as well and then just choose not to hire you if you fail either? Company policy can be stricter than federal regulation. It's not illegal to fire or not hire a person as long as it's not based off race, religion, gender or sexual preference. Theres plenty of companies that drug test even though they're not legally required to, I don't see why a trucking company can't choose to have a stricter than required drug policy.

I'm pretty sure a company can not hire people based on whatever kind of test they want, as long as that test isn't affected by race, religion, gender or sexuality.

 

Schneider does both urine and hair follicle testing for their tanker division. Not sure about dry van.

 

Swift does urine test, thats the only test I have seen so far anyway and I have taken 3 of them within a 4 month time frame, before employment, during training, after training.

 

Why is it that people claim to make "mistakes" when they are faced with a discovery that it could screw up their chances of employment, maybe thinking it isn't fair that they are being picked on or have to subject themselves to testing.

I mean if one plays Russian Roulette with his friend and beat the odds but his freind doesn't, does this mean he can say "oh I made a mistake" and not deal with the outcome?

 

People know BEFORE they ever touch a substance that it can prevent getting jobs etc, people still make the wrong choices no matter what thinking it wont happen to them.

 

One online sight i read said that they can test well over a year, but the testing company will only guarantee up to 90 days. That was one company web site. Not sure if this is the case with all.