Need Advice About Marijuana Testing For CDL Drivers

Topic 10729 | Page 2

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Stevo Reno's Comment
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Worked with a guy who did coke,1 of our welders, everyone knew it in the shop, even the boss's I think. He screwed up one night, but they had the parts guy (his buddy) take him for the drug test.........Well, he found out he was pregnant! lol Evidently they stopped by his house on the way, got his wife to pee in a baggy......

G-Town's Comment
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You know, I would not even worry about a random. I would worry about coming off of home time and having a 4 wheeler run into you and then you be sent for a drug test even though you are not at fault. I heard of someone getting tested for twisting an ankle and filing a work related injury claim.

There is an old saying "If you play with snakes, you are going to get bit"

You don't even want to hear the rest of my feelings on the subject.

How true. Even if you are driving your personal vehicle and off-duty, if you are in an accident, because you are a CDL holder, you may be asked to submit to a blood test. The nature of our responsibility as professional drivers is that we are held to a higher standard whether behind the wheel of a CMV or non-CMV, doesn't matter.

You needn't worry about us judging you, worry about how "due-process" will do that in the event you get caught.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

CMV:

Commercial Motor Vehicle

A CMV is a vehicle that is used as part of a business, is involved in interstate commerce, and may fit any of these descriptions:

  • Weighs 10,001 pounds or more
  • Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more
  • Is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) not for compensation
  • Is designed or used to transport 9 or more passengers (including the driver) for compensation
  • Is transporting hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placards

BMI:

Body mass index (BMI)

BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:

  • Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
  • Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit

It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.

John D.'s Comment
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I appreciate all of you guys putting in the time to post. I have a lot to think about.

Scott O.'s Comment
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I appreciate all of you guys putting in the time to post. I have a lot to think about.

I'm sorry but my fav TV shows are funny without weed and even if they aren't then its time for a new show.... A show or game is only going to last but so long but trucking is a career....

John D.'s Comment
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I appreciate all of you guys putting in the time to post. I have a lot to think about.

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I'm sorry but my fav TV shows are funny without weed and even if they aren't then its time for a new show.... A show or game is only going to last but so long but trucking is a career....

Yeah I hear that a lot. It's deeper than that. My favorite shows are still good with out weed The games I've been waiting to play for years would still be fun w/o weed etc

The best example I can give is: Walking Dead-(yeah it's cliche to love that show by now but whatever) I will still love the show w/o weed. But when I watch it high it brings out emotions that I haven't had since I was a kid. I will actually feel fear for my favorite character etc etc. life just beats these things out of you. When I smoke I'm just emersed in the universe more and it makes the experience 10x better and 10x more real.

And the way I see it-there are only a certain number of times left to experience these things. Walking dead will eventually get cancelled or start to suck.

I will eventually lose the desire to play these favorite games im waiting for etc.

With a limited number on these experiences why would I miss out on doing it the way I WANT to do it and settle for a lesser experience simply because this country has twisted corrupt laws.

We can drown ourselves in poison liquor or pain pills or caffeine but me saying I smoke a plant outta the ground as a life choice and people think I'm some kind of loser addict.

John D.'s Comment
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My father died young and I probably will too.

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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:

I try to stay positive about my father. But I do have all the same bad genes he had. I'd say the odds are against me. That's all.

And yes it does where on me. Having to beat the system (assuming I even can). I see it as the price I had to pay to live my life my way.

But you're right. I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

I was hoping someone would come on her and give me a fool proof plan on how to beat the system but I know that's just a pipe dream

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

John D.'s Comment
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*wear on me

Daniel B.'s Comment
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Great Answer!

Here's a true story of what happened to me.

I was driving through central Nebraska on a tight scheduled load going to Minnesota. My DM sent me a message saying "stop in Lincoln at (insert address here) for a mandatory random drug test. You must go. Call me if you have any questions. We expect you there within 30 minutes."

Well, Lincoln was only 20 miles from me! When I got there they did a hair test. This happens quite often.

So put yourself in my shoes. This will catch up to you and when it will, it'll be the end of your trucking career as you know it. I wish you luck sir.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Robert B. (The Dragon) ye's Comment
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There is no fool proof plan when it comes to illegal drugs. Even if Marijuana were decriminalized nationally, you're still going to find that due to the liability of being under the influence, insurance companies are going to insist that drivers not be users. The choice is yours and we're all going to die, we technically have been since conception so using that as a reason is more of a cop out than anything. The up side is that you're a user of a chemical that causes zero dependancy and causes no I'll side effects if you decide to quit.

John D.'s Comment
member avatar

Here's a true story of what happened to me.

I was driving through central Nebraska on a tight scheduled load going to Minnesota. My DM sent me a message saying "stop in Lincoln at (insert address here) for a mandatory random drug test. You must go. Call me if you have any questions. We expect you there within 30 minutes."

Well, Lincoln was only 20 miles from me! When I got there they did a hair test. This happens quite often.

So put yourself in my shoes. This will catch up to you and when it will, it'll be the end of your trucking career as you know it. I wish you luck sir.

What company was that? If you don't mind me asking (Hoping like a fool that maybe my company is too cheap to do that)

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
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