The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will soon be determining whether or not truckers are tested for drugs using the old standby urine or hair. If six major trucking companies have their way, hair analysis soon may be the norm. When truckers are found to have drugs in their system and can be taken off the road, every driver is kept safer.
Any person wishing to drive a truck for a carrier must first undergo a urinalysis and be screened for drugs. According to some, this is the old way of doing things. Maverick Transportation, Dupre Logistics Inc, Knight Transportation Inc., Werner Enterprises Inc., Schneider National Carriers Inc., and J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. want companies to start using hair strand tests, citing that these tests have been found to more reliable.
Hair strand testing has been found to be a viable alternative to traditional urine tests. They tend to be more accurate, according to some research, but other studies have found the opposite to be true. Some scientists have studied the testing system and found it to be unreliable. The main problem is a false positive. It can be difficult to clean the hair strand in such a way that foreign substances are not present, causing a positive result when the person has not taken any drugs.
Whether or not hair testing will become the new norm remains to be seen. While some deem the tests as more reliable, others see them as potentially taking innocent truckers off the road or denying them employment altogether.
If you have been involved in a truck accident in Atlanta, you may be entitled to compensation for injuries, property damage and more. Reach out to our team of personal injury attorneys to discover more about your legal options.