DRUG USE BY TRACTOR-TRAILER DRIVERS

Blood and/or urine samples were obtained from 317 randomly selected tractor-trailer drivers on Interstate 40 in Tennessee. Altogether, 29% of the drivers had alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and/or prescription or nonprescription stimulants in either blood or urine. Marijuana was found in 15% of the drivers blood or urine; nonprescription stimulants, such as phenolpropanolamine were found in 12%; prescription stimulants such as amphetamine were found in 5%; cocaine was 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 due to complexities in the relationship between performance and drug concentrations.

• Corporate Authors:

  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

  1005 North Glebe Road
  Arlington, VA  United States  22201
• Authors:
  • LUND, A K
  • Preusser, D F
  • Blomberg, R D
  • Williams, A F
• Publication Date: 1987-6

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 36 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcoholic beverages; Blood analysis; Cocaine; Driver performance; Drivers; Drugs; Impaired drivers; Marijuana; Medicine; Personnel performance; Stimulants; Truck drivers; Urine
• Old TRIS Terms: Blood tests; Driver impairment
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00490330
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-040 33
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 31 1989 12:00AM