Profile For tagmaster

No one suggested it would ever be ok to pop positive, but the fact is test do exist that detect ony the active components of thc aka if your high or not. They do this in Colorado already for four wheelers. Some drivers do narcotics and drive legally with a doctors waiver, it depends on the MRO who does the dot exam and the company policy. So I wouldnt say never or period etc. With several states voting for some form of legalization in the last day obviously things are changing. Just like you cant fail a breathalyzer they could eventually test drivers for impairment as opposed to what metabolites remain long after useage.

Holey Ancient Thread Resurrection Batman!

1 - Marijuana is a PROHIBITED SUBSTANCE for someone in a "safety sensitive position".

2 - If you choose to smoke, and test positive - you have chosen to seriously jeopardize (if not end) your trucking career.

3 - The current legal status of weed in the state you happen to be in, has nothing to do with #1 above.

4 - Even if the Feds legalize weed and make it a "non-scheduled substance" - it will probably be a LONG TIME (if ever) that CDL drivers are going to be OK testing positive for it.

So - it still comes down to the choice - do I want to DRIVE A TRACTOR TRAILER or do I want to SMOKE WEED? Regardless of "so-called foolproof ways" of beating a drug screen - with hair testing becoming more and more prevalent, stuffing synthetic urine down your shorts isn't going to cut it for much longer.

BTW - most McDonalds drug test their employees also. Ask MY SON, who used to come by the house to grab some clean urine in a zip lock from me, every time he had a job interview. Good thing for him - he grew up and can pass one on his own now.

And I smoked DAILY from 9 yrs old, until 29 years old - and followed the Grateful Dead around for 25+ years (347 shows - 72 of them sober) - so I'm no stranger to partying - and am not unsympathetic towards current weed heads.

You just can't use weed and work in this industry - PERIOD.

Rick

I was sitting on a couch upstars in OKC 150 mi from Cushing when it hit and it was unnerving to say the least. Creaking boards and a good shaking. Funny thing is my wife who works about 300 yards from here was working and her nor any employees with the exception of a guy leaning against a wall (my dream job) felt it. I think being upstairs and the structure your in are key. My daughters friend in wichita Ks. Also 150mi. from Cushing also felt it. My only other earthquake experience was in Irving Tx. About 5 years ago which was more of a vibration as opposed to this shaking /swaying stuff. The cumulative affects of the many minor quakes here are going to be costly in the long term to infrastructure.

Wow! You don't expect that in Oklahoma. Well at least I don't. When I saw the subject of this topic I thought maybe you were referring to their college football teams

CDL is what triggers random drug test not dot card. A dot recertification they take a pee to test blood sugar not a UA. At my job we can do rehab if we fail a random but hurts your record and requires at least 6 follow up test in the first year.. Temperature range is tricky but can be controlled with hand warmers which but not here to teach a cheat. As far as observed collection Ive never even had anyone in the bathroom with me. Carrying pee around sucks. I care greatly about my job but had a CDL before this testing started in the early 90s and felt like it infringed on my right so stupidly took a few chances but no longer do so. As far as it will never be legal for a trucker I'm not able to agree without some doubt because not all companies disqualify a driver for using narcotics. The dot requires the doctor examining you to determine your ability based on his judgment after you furnish a note from the prescriber saying it wont adversely affect driving in his opinion. My company requires you to disclose and provide doctors note as well. If pot became legal at fed level then under todays guidelines its possible a trucker could partake. I think they are working to change these drug schedules & how they apply to drivers for that very reason. It's also important to note that they can now test for active component of thc. So they can test to see if your high the same as a breathalyzer for drunkenness. Some including dot will say "its illegal anyway" but since when is it their role to monitor what illegal acts a person commits in his free time? BTW randoms do not use a hair follicle test. A company may request pre employment hair testing but I dont think for a dot random.

My father died young and I probably will too.

Well first of all, don't say that! Don't even think it. You're probably going to live to be 95.

Unfortunately I don't see any way you're going to pull it off even carrying clean urine with you. When they give drug tests they're instructed to keep the door open and watch you to make sure you don't pull any tricks. And of course they do tests on the urine to make sure it's the proper temperature and doesn't show signs that you drank a gallon of water beforehand. They also test for signs of any masking agents. They've been at this game a long time and they've seen a million tricks.

Not to mention, companies know that coming off home time would be the best time to test anyone for drugs or even alcohol. One time I was given a random test just after 8:00 a.m. and they did a breathalyzer test also. I asked the guy, "Do people really fail breathalyzer tests at eight in the morning?" and he said, "You better believe it."

In my opinion you're not going to get away with it for long. I think it's only a matter of time before you get hit with a random at the wrong time. And I'll say this about the anxiety thing - trying to beat the system all the time wears you out after a while. I was always on paper logs and used to cheat on the logs daily. We all did back in the day. And I'll tell ya - that just wears on you. You're always scheming, always worried about getting caught, always trying to make contingency plans in case of random inspections or getting pulled over. It's a lot of stress and it takes some of the fun out of trucking.

Finally one last concern - it seems almost everyone is going to go to hair follicle testing in the coming months and years. The detection is so much better and the prices have come down so much that it's going to become more and more difficult for companies to justify doing urinalysis only. So I think your days are numbered as far as urinalysis goes anyhow.

The fact that many states have now legalized Marijuana and it's proven to have beneficial medicinal effects has taken much of the stigma away from it. But it will never be legal for truckers because of the effects it would have on driving. There are plenty of prescription medications that are perfectly legal for everyday use but will never be approved for trucking.

So it's hard to see much of a future in trucking for anyone who wants to use illegal or unapproved drugs for trucking. I think you're going to have to make a choice one way or the other.

We have a ton of information on drug testing including:

• Hair Follicle vs. Urinalysis: Breakdown By Company - updated list of companies and the type of drug testing they do.
• DOT Alcohol and Drug Policies & Testing - Federal drug testing policies including who is tested, when you're tested, and what they test for.
• CDL Drug & Alcohol Test Methods & Detection Times - includes hair follicle and urinalysis facts along with factors affecting detection times