Data comparing pre-employment drug tests of truck driver applicants found evidence that thousands of habitual drug users are slipping through the federal drug screening system.
Compiled by the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security (known as the Trucking Alliance), whose members include major truckload operators J.B. Hunt [NASDAQ: JBHT], U.S. Xpress [NYSE: USX] and Knight-Swift Transportation [NYSE: KNX], the “first of its kind” survey found that while 94 percent of the urinalysis and hair analysis of 151,662 applicants tested drug-free, thousands failed either or both tests.
Based on what the Trucking Alliance asserted is a “statistically valid sample” of 3.5 million commercial drivers, the survey projects with a 99 percent confidence level and less than 1 percent margin of error that 301,000 truck drivers currently on the road would fail or refuse a hair analysis.
“We have a huge drug abuse problem in the trucking industry, and should actually purge an estimated 300,000 commercial drivers to clean it up,” said Trucking Alliance Managing Director Lane Kidd in a statement. “No wonder truck accidents are on the rise.”
The results of the survey were recently submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) as well as to the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Highway Subcommittee before its hearing today (June 12) on the state of the trucking industry.
“The T&I Subcommittee can intervene to mitigate this problem,” the Alliance stated in comments to the subcommittee. The group wants lawmakers to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to complete hair test guidelines, which were mandated under the FAST Act surface transportation legislation in 2015 but have yet to be rolled out.
“Until DOT recognizes a hair analysis, no employer will be allowed to submit hair test failures into the pending USDOT Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. This will make it virtually impossible for another employer to know if a person applying for a truck driver job has previously failed a drug test,” according to the Alliance.
Testifying at the June 12 subcommittee hearing, American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear echoed the group’s concern. “[The hair-test guidelines] have been sitting at HHS for three years. DOT is ready to move forward on this. Get on HHS and get this thing done.”
The Alliance pointed out that DOT currently recognizes only urinalysis as a drug test method, allowing employers to require additional test methods as part of employer hiring practices. However, “a growing number of trucking company employers, including Trucking Alliance carriers, require a second drug test, a hair analysis, as part of their pre-employment truck driver hiring policies.”
Using urinalysis alone missed nine out of 10 illegal drug users, according to the Alliance survey. Cocaine was the most prevalent drug that tested positive, followed by opioids and marijuana. “Applicants who failed or refused the hair test were disqualified for employment at these companies, but likely obtained the same job elsewhere, at companies that administer only a urinalysis.”
Some trucking experts contend that, while needed, more rigid federal guidelines and enforcement of drug testing will make it more difficult to seat drivers.
MacNeto
???? Ricky Smith calm down Sir! I completely understand your view but they’re still human. Alcohol & drug use is addictive an requires a lot support & Professional help to kick the unclean habits.
MacNeto
BRAVO!! BRAVO!!???? COLEY QUINN!
Scooter D
Trucking Alliance Managing Director Lane Kidd in a statement. “No wonder truck accidents are on the rise.”
Really?!?!?! Seriously?!?!?! What an arrogant P.O.S.! I’m sure drug use may play a factor in accidents with trucks but let’s face facts here, it’s the ahole 4wheelers, motor home drivers, along with new “kid drivers” and the completely ignorant insane drivers that cut off truckers just to turn because they can’t wait that 3-6 seconds in behind a truck so they cut us off, brake check us, take away our safety zone and following distance to save 3 seconds! Let’s start drug testing THEM! When all the trucks stop because we have no more drivers because they keep forcing more and more rules and regulations down our throat these idiots that have zero knowledge about trucks won’t have a complaint in the world because there will be no more gas at the station, no groceries on the shelves, no more new cars being delivered and no more trucks on the roads! People better wake up and quick and realize just how important truckers are to the world economy! Hey, just my two cents, I could be wrong but I doubt it!
Coley Quinn
This is just another example of the big companies trying to increase their profits by expanding truck drivers medical testing standards that the majority people would fail across all work force industries. For example: if the hair follicle test was given for car drivers, doctors, air traffic controllers, executives, policemen and firefighters, etc. and test for alcohol and drugs, there would be a very large percentage of failure, the reason why, is because anything that you put in your body can be detected by the hair follicle test….that don’t mean that you are impaired, it only means you used or was exposed to the substance.
For example: everyone have experience smelling alcohol on someone after they had been drinking the night before and when they sweat, you can smell the alcohol coming from their body but they are not impaired. Therefore, the medical test should always be based upon impairment standards.
Here are the big trucking companies strategy: If DOT up the test standards to follicle hair test, that it would purge a substantial amount of truck drivers off the road and out of a job, which would allow those big trucking companies to raise their freight rates due to the demand of freight needing to be moved.
What need to be done by DOT: Stop trucking companies from doing Lease Purchases; Set Truck Driver’s Wage Standards; Mandate All Trucks are Enabled to Run 72 mph; Establish Detention, Reset and Layover Pay be Based-On the Driver’s cpm Pay; Allow all Interstate Drivers to Deduct Daily Per Diem on Taxes; Stop all Fictitious So-Called Contract Driver; Mandate that all Trucks are Able to Idle for 10 hours and have Apu’s; Mandate Trucking Companies Pay Half of Drivers Cellphone Bills; etc.
NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK THOSE BIG TRUCKING COMPANIES THINK OR WOULD HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT????….IT WOULD LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD!
Tex
IMO, the real reason truck accidents are on the rise is thousands of truck drivers in 70+ mph trucks that can’t read or comprehend the English language…..which all road signs are written in. These are the same individuals who want to do 75 while tailgating another vehicle. Why do they do it? Because that’s the way things are done in their home Country and they don’t care that it is unsafe.
Step 1 to reducing truck wrecks….know English or no CDL!
Step 2. Left lane of interstates through cities for through trucks ONLY. This will eliminate passenger vehicles cutting off semis and allow traffic to flow at a reasonable rate.
Before you were boren
Several companies and the idiots working for them should also be purged.
Will Morton
This is bullshit, you do realize that these companies that belong to the trucking alliance have the worst safety record then all other companies combined and they are the worst companies to work for
Kevin
So pretty much what this says, is that since urine tests are only 99. Whatever accurate, that the point whatever folks are all drug abusers. LMAO, I never read such b.s. in my life. It says People failed tests at those companies, but it does not say they are driving or ever got jobs, it just puts them up there to confuse what they are saying. And what they are saying is that since drug tests are only 99 percent or so accurate, the other one percent of drivers are dope heads. Never mind the fact that they have likely taken multiple drug tests in their careers and have never failed one. This is a load of bull. Someone is getting paid to promote hair testing because it is much more expensive and testing companies can get rich off of it. That is all this is.