Page 13 - ATR 5 2013

News iN brief, “tRUcKs aRe Not Bad foR the plaNet” commercial truck drivers.
Continued from page 10 According to a 2013 report from Under current federal regulations
the Diesel Technology Forum, about in the commercial trucking industry,
adjustments in fuel requirements, mile- 2.5 million of the 8.6 million trucks in only a urinalysis is recognized by the
age and necessary stops. A driver is the U.S. are powered by “clean diesel HHS for mandatory pre-employment
always changing his or her time calcula- engines.” These engines employ 2007 or drug and alcohol exams of truck driver
tions as well, based on road conditions later emissions mitigation technology applicants. However, the number of
and traffic flow. Their drive hours have and output almost no particulate mat- truck driver applicants who pass a pre-
been described as “a constant game of ter or nitrogen oxides. employment urine test, but fail a subse-
chess, with ten possible options and quent hair test is alarmingly high.
outcomes for every move.” fiRst aNd last With only a 2-3 day window of
An 18-year-old Arkansas girl has detection, urinalysis is often less effec-
“tRUcKs aRe GoveRNed to Not speed” an unusual request: she wants to be tive in detecting habitual substance
Contrary to popular belief, truckers the last person to drive over a Little abuse. A hair test is a more accurate and
do not burn up the highways at alarm- Rock, Ark. bridge before it is demol- reliable detection tool for lifestyle drug
ing rates of speed. Out of the top 10 ished. In 1923, her great-grandmother abusers because it provides a 60-90 day
trucking companies listed in the CCJ and namesake was the first person to window.
Top 250 this year, at least half are gov- drive across the city’s Broadway bridge For that reason, many trucking
erned at speeds between 62 to 68 miles upon completion of construction. The companies have turned to hair testing,
per hour. Running 80-90 miles an hour bridge, which crosses the Arkansas River which is more expensive, but is more
while hauling 45,000 pounds is prohibi- connecting Little Rock to North Little effective in identifying drug users.
tively expensive, and something rarely Rock, is scheduled to be torn down and “Passing this much needed legisla-
(if ever) done by professional drivers. rebuilt. Anna Darr’s great-grandmother, tion will give trucking companies the
Anna Louise Garms, was only 12 years option of conducting either a urinaly-
“tRUcKeRs WoRK moRe UNpaid hoURs old when her father’s construction sis or hair test or both methods, and
thaN aNyBody” company completed the bridge. She will also allow positive hair tests to
“If the wheels ain’t turnin’, you commemorated the occasion by driving be reported to the soon to be created
ain’t earnin’” is an old saying among across in a brand new Ford fresh off the national drug and alcohol clearing-
those who rely solely upon paid mileage showroom floor. “We have a lot of his- house that Congress adopted last year,”
to make a living. Most long-haul truck- tory in Little Rock, but I never expected said Gary Salisbury, a member of the
ers earn a per-mile rate, many without to be one of those historical things,” Trucking Alliance board of directors
time paid for loading or unloading. says Anna. and current chairman of the Arkansas
Waiting time at some docks can be as Trucking Association.
long as four to 12 hours, with most oUt of tRUcKs aNd off oUR Congress mandated the creation of
companies starting detention pay at hiGhWays a drug and alcohol clearinghouse last
somewhere between hours two and six. The entire Arkansas Congressional year and is expected to be operational
This, factored with time spent sitting in delegation was joined by U.S.
traffic, give the profession more actual Congressman Reid Ribble
clocked and unpaid hours than any (R-Wis.) in introducing federal
other. legislation that will enable truck-
ing companies to more effectively
“dRiveRs aRe edUcated” prevent lifestyle drug users from
It’s estimated that 35 percent of the gaining employment as com-
professional drivers who have been on mercial truck drivers. The Drug
the road for more than seven years have Free Commercial Trucking Act
extended educations, and are trained of 2013 (S. 1625) and The Drug
in professions other than driving. This Free Commercial Driver Act of
number jumps to 45 percent in polling 2013 (H.R. 3404) direct the
of drivers who have been on the road U.S. Department of Health and
fewer than five years. Companies active- Human Services (HHS) to recog-
ly recruit returning military veterans, nize hair testing as an optional
and the Troops to Truckers program method to comply with the U.S.
estimates they will fill 30,000 trucking Department of Transportation
jobs with ex-military personnel by 2014. (DOT) drug testing requirements for 

arKansas trucKing report | issue 5 2013 13