Fear Of False Positives With Drug Testing At Orientation?

First of all, it's great to be here. I've been reading through posts on this forum for a few months now and like what I see! Looks to be a top shelf group of people on here. I actually just received my Class A and have been researching companies to start with. I will say that after due diligence it would appear that there have been a number of people who have failed a drug test because of a false positive. Getting popped for cocaine and never using cocaine etc. Then of course they get black balled from the industry and this goes on their record. I for one have been clear of inhaling plant fumes since senior year of high school (10 years ago) but I am still somehow worried of the possibility of a false positive that will ruin my chances of entering the industry. I am so excited about getting into trucking but this (somewhat irrational I'll admit it) fear is holding me back from full commitment. Are there any words of advice or experiences that you can share on this topic? I would greatly appreciate it.

If one is clean, there is nothing to worry about. Show me a truly false positive from this site.

First of all, it's great to be here. I've been reading through posts on this forum for a few months now and like what I see! Looks to be a top shelf group of people on here. I actually just received my Class A and have been researching companies to start with. I will say that after due diligence it would appear that there have been a number of people who have failed a drug test because of a false positive. Getting popped for cocaine and never using cocaine etc. Then of course they get black balled from the industry and this goes on their record. I for one have been clear of inhaling plant fumes since senior year of high school (10 years ago) but I am still somehow worried of the possibility of a false positive that will ruin my chances of entering the industry. I am so excited about getting into trucking but this (somewhat irrational I'll admit it) fear is holding me back from full commitment. Are there any words of advice or experiences that you can share on this topic? I would greatly appreciate it.

Besides Sr. Chief's advice (PackRat, our Mod...) read this:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Best forward; keep in TOUCH with usn's in this forum. You really SHOULD be okay, if what you say is true.

~ Anne & Tom ~

If one is clean, there is nothing to worry about. Show me a truly false positive from this site.

I can't recall one either. There have been members that had an inconclusive test but not true false positives. I do however recall a thread that had scientific data claiming that hair of certain ethnicities/skin color may be more prone to false positives. Whether that's accurate or not who knows.

Most often the people that claim it was a false positive are in denial or unknowingly consumed something. It's no different than how everybody in prison is innocent. There was a story here of a new driver that tested positive for THC because he "unknowingly" ate CBD gummies at a party. Although they claim it wasn't their intention to have CBD gummies it doesn't matter. I highly recommend everybody that gets drug tested to stay away from CBD oil as there's no way to guarantee it has no THC in it. I personally know of a driver that was using cbd oil for back pain that is now having a heck of a time getting a new job due to a failed drug test that came back for THC.

The likelihood of a true false positive derailing your career is extremely low. They save half of the sample to retest if necessary.

Like the saying goes......"Don't do the crime, unless you CAN do the time!" lol

If one is clean, there is nothing to worry about. Show me a truly false positive from this site.

This is what I keep telling myself. Honestly I've built up quite a bit of excitement around getting in to trucking and have unfortunately let a few stories send fear into me that it could all go down in flames right out of the gate. I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and go get the testing done myself before applying anywhere just to ease my mind. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as crazy. I really really want this and don't want to mess up.

P.S. - The sky is not falling either.

Hello Evan!

I think you already realize you're being irrational. If you don't realize it then you may not be telling us the whole story. It's impossible for us to force you to be rational, and we can't help you if you're being disingenuous. You've put us in an awkward position.

What good does testing yourself prior to the real test do to keep you from a false positive? A false positive is just that - it's false. No amount of pre-testing or purging your system does anything to prevent a false positive. They are very rare.

Popping hot is common among those who refuse to admit they've been using, but doing it discreetly. It's those people who refuse to admit their vices who come to us claiming they had a false positive result. If you are in that camp then don't even attempt this. If you're just paranoid for no rational reason then go ahead.

I will say this... having difficulty with being paranoid and irrational is not going to help you at all in this career. You need to get some help if you are always struggling with this. Trucking requires a cool Zen like ability to face the constant flow of challenges. It's more mental work than anything else.

In one of my prior career’s I was involved in drug testing from collection to termination for 25+ years. In that time only one claimed he didn’t participate in drug usage trough out the process. All the others eventually, admitted they thought they could beat it. The process is pretty much perfected these days. Keep in mind you are dealing with Federal Government requirements not some Sports League. Getting your own test especially in advance would be of no value in my experience. Bottom line…..if your clean wiz in the bottle and be done with it. This something only you can determine.

100%in agreement with Old School on dealing with your issues. As new driver the ability to do so will be paramount to your success. Once you are solo there’s nobody in the truck “ in the moment” you need to make rational decisions. The absolute worst decision is indecision. This job requires daily reasonable approach decision making.

Best of luck in your endeavors.

If you're not using and haven't been, as said above, it's a non issue. If you're just worried about details and hypervigilant about all things trucking, I can understand that, but you need to be able to identify and prioritize what is relevant and not.

Logically speaking, if you're clean and have been, you might want to be concentrating on the hiring process, permit, what company will hire you, learning everything you can about the school and training process, lifestyle and challenges. Luckily there's a wealth of information here.