Most people in transportation know the four basic reasons of drug testing. The first one all new transport workers experience is the pre-employment drug screen. The second is post-accident. Third is the random test, up to twice per year, and fourth is what’s called “reasonable suspicion.” This is when a supervisor observes erratic behavior or physical signs and can order the employee to undergo a drug screen.
And then, there’s this one: While leaving the Portland, Oregon area a few years ago, I saw the weigh station near Cascade Locks was open. Manned, as usual, by the Oregon State Police, who have a reputation for strict enforcement, I didn’t hesitate to stop on the scales. After passing inspection, the officer on duty asked if I’d be interested in taking a “voluntary drug test” as part of a double-blind study.
I’d never heard of a drug test administered this way, and was a bit apprehensive, but in the spirit of cooperation agreed to the process. Besides, I’ve never come even remotely close to failing one of these.
In an administration building not far from the scale, a research team from a nearby university took my urine sample. There were no labels, no names and no identification.
Satisfied with my contribution to … whatever this was ... I returned to the truck and resumed my normal driving schedule. I didn’t think about it the rest of the day. In fact, I forgot about it completely.
Then, two months later, and thousands of miles away, I was leafing through a trucking magazine when I suddenly came upon this very story. The article was detailed and specific, without naming names, but it was unmistakably that scale, that weekend. The findings were, in a word, breathtaking.
Four hundred truckers that weekend voluntarily submitted to the drug testing protocol. Twenty nine tested positive for illegal substances. Let me repeat that, just for the record. Twenty nine drivers, or 7% of those surveyed, voluntarily tested positive for illegal substances. And let me repeat one key word: voluntarily. If that doesn’t prove drugs affect your judgement, then nothing else will.
Some people say drivers under the influence of drugs are easy to spot. They’re bald. Or wearing a cap. Or carrying a coat.
It could even be the team driver I saw the other day on Monarch Pass in Colorado, who was wearing an Alaska bush hat, insulated parka and Bermuda shorts. They talk a lot or not at all. They are older than some, younger than most.
The truth is, drug abusers are almost impossible to identify because they all look like the rest of us. Most work like the rest of us. Some even vote like rest of us — which may explain some recent political outcomes— and a few are even in denial, like so many of us.
Clark is a Kyle resident. After 40 years of interstate trucking, he's too old for a paper route, too young to retire and too tired to have an affair. You can reach him at rogerclark437@ gmail.com.
