For many, the reference to operating under the influence is automatically associated with drinking and driving. However, many fail to realize that drugs affect people in the same way alcohol does and that means you can be fined even for just driving after taking prescription medication.
Truck drivers with CDL license are required to be drug tested because they might have drugs in their system while driving. Now if an 18-wheeler truck got into a wreck, there would be some serious damage. That is why trucking companies do not want to take that risk.
Studies have showed that 15% of all interstate truck drivers had marijuana in their system, 12% had stimulants (non-prescription), 5% had prescription stimulants, 2% had cocaine, and less than 1% had alcohol in their system. Now that is an OUI.
In order to be considered driving over the legal limit, it is not necessary to be drunk. Although the regular BAC, or the blood alcohol concentration, is legal to 0.08%, for truck drivers it is reduced to 0.04%. This is because they operate larger vehicles and driver longer distances.
Most people think that driving high on marijuana is safer than driving drunk. This is not true. It can affect concentration, perception, and reaction time as long as 24 hours, when alcohol only affects the mind approximately 3 to 4 hours depending on how much you have drank. Marijuana has caused over 12% of fatal trucking accidents. Therefore, that tells you that marijuana is not safe when you are driving.
A serious problem is the truck stops are a tempting place to get your hands on meth or ice. Truckers, in an attempt to stay awake while working very long shifts, want some to help, which is a very bad choice. Surveys have shown 1 in 5 use hard drugs on the job to stay awake.
Since intoxicated drivers are not to be tolerated, law enforcement personnel keep a good eye on truck drivers. Even if it is suspected that a truck driver might be under the influence they will be pulled over and then there are many ways of determining intoxication. There is the breathalyzer test to determine if a driver had been drinking, but then there is also the field sobriety test and the swab drug test.
One of the tests law enforcement uses to see if the driver has been drinking and how much is the breathalyzer in which you blow into it. The other is called the nystagmus test. This has various aspects to it. You can be asked to walk and turn, stand on one leg, put your finger to your nose and the Romberg balance test. Another sobriety test is when an officer puts an object, a pen for example, in front of the face and while moving it back and forth watches the driver’s eyes. Then a chemical test can be done which consists of urine or blood samples.
The swab test is done by taking a sample of saliva from the suspect’s mouth in which if it comes back “hot” then you are driving OUI.
To sum it all up, nobody should operate while under the influence and that especially goes for truck drivers. It is never safe to drink or do drugs when you are going to have to operate a vehicle.