Oregon Inspection Shows Drug Use
Trucking representatives say the results don’t represent the industry as a whole, but the numbers have state officials concerned about the safety of the trucks traveling Oregon’s roads.
The 48-hour inspection checkpoint, dubbed Operation Trucker Check, was conducted October 6-8 on trucks entering Oregon at Ashland and Klamath Falls, two towns along the state’s southern border. It was held in response to a rash of truck accidents that occurred in the area during the first nine months of 1998.
A majority of those crashes, which occurred on a normally quiet stretch of road, were determined to be trucker-caused, said Oregon State Police Lieutenant Charles Hayes, who headed up the operation.
During the two days, inspectors stopped 373 trucks entering Oregon from northern California. In addition, 367 drivers voluntarily provided urine samples that were later tested for the presence of drugs or alcohol.
The test results showed that of the 367 drivers who submitted to the urinalysis, 34, or 9.4%, had drugs in their system, most commonly cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana and opiates. Six of them were visually impaired and arrested for driving under the influence on the spot. Twenty-six truckers refused to take the test.
Law enforcement officials also issued a total of 45 citations and 80 warnings for equipment or driver problems. Ninety-eight of the 373 trucks inspected were placed out of service, and five drivers were taken off the road due to fatigue.
Mr. Hayes said he was unprepared for the severity of the final numbers. "We certainly didn’t expect to find one out of ten drivers testing positive for drugs," he said. "What was even more surprising was the amount of trucks with equipment problems. More than a quarter had to be put out of service."
The Oregon Trucking Association shares Mr. Hayes concerns but is troubled by the way the results of the inspections are being portrayed.
"The trucking industry supports getting people off the road who are using drugs, but we’re just upset with the Oregon State Patrol using these targeted inspections to represent the entire industry," said Ericka Ohm of the OTA.
Ms. Ohm pointed out that the inspections were only conducted on drivers or trucks that police had suspicions about. Vehicles were selected using a computer background check system called ASPEN or if an observable violation was detected.
Since only the 373 worst trucks were stopped, the numbers aren’t a true picture of the condition of most driver’s and their trucks, said Ms. Ohm.
"It’s not a fair test and it’s not a random sample. That’s why the results were so inflated," she said.
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