ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 14

Drug Use by Tractor-Trailer Drivers
Williams, AF
Director of human and environmental research and vice president of research, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, DC

Lund, AK
Director of human and environmental research and vice president of research, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, DC

Preusser, DF
Principal associate and president, Dunlap and Associates, CT

Blomberg, RD
Principal associate and president, Dunlap and Associates, CT

(Received 23 June 1987; accepted 14 September 1987)

Abstract

Blood or urine samples or both were obtained from 317 of 359 randomly selected tractor-trailer drivers asked to participate in a driver health survey conducted at a truck weighing station on Interstate 40 in Tennessee. Altogether, 29% of the drivers had evidence of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, prescription or nonprescription stimulants, or some combination of these, in either blood or urine. Cannabinoids were found in 15% of the drivers' blood or urine; nonprescription stimulants such as phenylpropanolamine were found in 12%; prescription stimulants such as amphetamine were found in 5%; cocaine metabolites were found in 2%; and alcohol was found in less than 1%. These results provide the first objective information about the use of potentially abusive drugs by tractor-trailer drivers. The extent of driver impairment attributable to the observed drugs is uncertain because of the complex relationship between performance and drug concentrations.

Keywords:
toxicology, driving (motor vehicle operation), marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, truck drivers, drugs, stimulants

Paper ID: JFS12474J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS12474J
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