High Marks for Low Drug Tests

Drug and alcohol use among truck drivers dropped 41% between 1996 and 1997, according to a survey released last week.

The Federal Highway Administration polled 112,730 drivers at 1,294 randomly selected motor carriers and found that the estimated violation rate declined from 2.2% to 1.3% of drivers tested.

For the second year in a row, the study also showed that alcohol violations remained at a low rate of 0.2% of the drivers tested randomly. The low violation rate prompted the Motor Carrier & Highway Safety business unit last year to lower the trucking industry’s minimum annual random alcohol testing rate from 25% to 10% of its drivers.

All motor carriers that employ drivers with commercial driver licenses must have comprehensive in-house drug and alcohol testing programs. They must randomly test 10% of their CDL drivers for alcohol and 50% of their CDL drivers for drugs each year.

In addition, trucking companies are required to conduct pre-employment, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty and follow-up tests.

According to one of the largest U.S. drug-testing laboratories, SmithKline Beecham, the 1997 positive random test rate for all federally mandated, safety-sensitive workers covered under workplace drug-testing programs was 2.9%.

“This puts the trucking industry drug-use rate at less than half that of other federally mandated, safety sensitive workers,” said Walter B. McCormick Jr., president of American Trucking Associations.

For the full story, see the April 26 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.