Cargo Business Newswire

Thursday, August 27, 2015

ATA asks Congress to allow hair testing in driver drug screens

American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves recently wrote Congress to ask them to pass legislation that would allow fleets to use hair samples as part of a federally required drug-screening program for commercial drivers, according to an ATA statement.

"Every day, thousands of hair tests are performed worldwide within both the private and public sectors," Graves wrote. "Their reason for using hair testing is laudable … hair testing is an effective tool for identifying drug users due to its long detection window and because it is difficult for donors to beat the test."

Graves said Fortune 500 companies like General Motors and Shell Oil, as well as leading trucking

companies, already use hair testing, but said the cost of redundant mandatory urine tests prevents more fleets from using this widely accepted drug testing method.

"ATA is aware of thousands of truck drivers who have tested positive for illegal drug use on hair tests and have obtained driving positions with other carriers because they were subsequently able to pass DOT-required urine tests," Graves said. "Several of these drivers have had crashes and, of course, future ones are likely as a result."

A survey of four large carriers revealed that this year 706 drivers failed pre-employment hair tests but passed urine tests, according to ATA.