Those who drive commercial trucks for a living in Indiana and other parts of the United States need to maintain a high degree of attention and responsibility. Yet, research shows that many of today’s truck drivers fail to drive in a responsible manner. It also suggests that the U.S. Department of Transportation is under-reporting how often commercial truck drivers use hard drugs while on the job.
According to Truckinginfo, a study involving more than 2 million truck driver hair and drug test results revealed concerning information about the rates of illegal drug use among truck drivers. In particular, the study shed light on truckers’ use of cocaine in comparison to marijuana and other drugs.
What drugs truckers are abusing
According to some authorities, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, marijuana is the most common drug today’s truckers abuse on the job. Yet, they got their information from reviewing the results of truck driver urine tests. Another study showed that if the FMCSA had conducted hair tests, rather than urine ones, it would show that cocaine was the most common drug abused by members of this workforce.
Why some safety advocates encourage hair testing
Studies suggest that urine testing is an effective means of identifying a trucker’s use of marijuana. However, hair testing not only identifies the use of marijuana but also a higher percentage of other hard drugs, including cocaine, heroin and other opioids. In general, studies indicate that hair testing turns up evidence of drug use more than 800% more often than urine testing.
Truck drivers who abuse cocaine and other drugs endanger everyone they encounter on the road.