Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Trucking

Drug and alcohol testing is a fact of life in trucking today. Drivers with a commercial driver license (CDL) are subject to it, as are truck owner-operators with a CDL, and motor carriers who employ drivers with a CDL must have a testing program.

A study by the Insurance Institute for Traffic Safety of interstate tractor-trailer drivers found that 15% of all drivers had marijuana, 12% had non-prescription stimulants, 5% had prescription stimulants, 2% had cocaine, and fewer than 1% had alcohol in their systems.

Alcohol Use

A driver does not necessarily have to be intoxicated to be impaired by alcohol. Even at low BAC levels, alcohol impairs driving performance by reducing the driver's reaction time and slowing his or her decisionmaking process.  Recognizing the threat to the public safety associated with even moderate drinking and driving by transportation workers, the Federal government prohibits commercial truck drivers, railroad and mass transit workers, marine employees, and aircraft pilots from operating their vehicles with a BAC at or greater than 0.04 percent.

While once a rampant problem, and contributing factor in a high percentage of trucking accidents, driver intoxication has been effectively controlled through stringent monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Transportation.

See: Federal Regulations on Alcohol and Substance Abuse

The statistics show that only about 1-3% of truck accidents are caused by alcohol use by the truck driver. However, truck driver fatigue though does play an important role in truck accidents, with more than 30% of all truck accidents caused due to truckers driving without taking enough rest and getting the required amount of sleep.

Marijuana

While many drivers believe that drugged driving is safer than drunk driving, in reality, marijuana can affect concentration, perception and reaction time up to 24 hours after it’s smoked says the federal director of drug policies, John Walters. That’s much, much longer than alcohol can affect behavior.

In a 1990 report, the National Transportation Safety Board studied 182 fatal truck accidents. It found that 12.5% of the accidents were caused by drivers using marijuana.

A New England Journal of Medicine report on drivers without alcohol in their systems who were stopped by police for reckless driving found that 45% had marijuana and 25% had cocaine in their systems.

Marijuana is not safe for truck drivers or those who share the road with them.

Methamphetamine

Despite Federal regulations that limit the hours they can drive in a single day, truck drivers are constantly looking for ways to stay awake longer, drive farther, and make more money. Seventeen out of 20 truck drivers inter-viewed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) said that meth is easy to get at truck stops.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that people in occupations (such as long-haul truckers) that demand long hours, mental alertness, and physical endurance, have been using Methamphetamine at increased rates.

The use of stimulants by truck drivers to combat fatigue is fairly common. Surveys and roadside tests indicate that about one in five drivers use stimulants on at least some trips, although it seems their use has reduced since the early 1990s.

Truck drivers and truck carriers are responsible for the safe operation of commercial vehicles on our highways. While more stringent alcohol and drug guidelines, along with more effective enforcement, have helped to curb drunken driving the effects of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs are increasing.

Related Information:

Federal Regulations on Alcohol and Substance Abuse

Trucking Articles