When vehicles weighing thousands of pounds and traveling at freeway speeds collide, the result can by permanent debilitating injuries and fatalities. The danger increases when one of the vehicles is an 80,000 pound fully loaded tractor-trailer. When the driver of the forty ton big-rig is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the potential danger posed to others on Mississippi roadways rises to alarming levels. Despite this frightening reality, commercial drivers often opt to use drugs to cope with pressures at home, boredom on the road, and fatigue behind the wheel. Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continues to regulate the trucking industry by imposing screening procedures that target intoxicating substances, the threat to public safety caused by impaired truck drivers has not disappeared.
The magnitude of the problem is reflected by the continued priority that the federal government places on substance abuse testing of tractor-trailer operators. While federal safety regulators impose random drug testing on many people employed in the transportation industry, the level of testing by the FMCSA exceeds similar testing by the Federal Aviation Commission, Federal Railroad Administration, and other agencies under the auspices of the Department of Transportation (DOT).
The FMCSA found that random drug sampling in 2015 remained at the same 50 percent rate as the prior year. This level of testing requires trucking companies to perform one random drug test for every two drivers. If the trucking company employs 250 drivers, for example, the company will be required to administer 125 random drug tests. This fifty percent standard is double that set by the federal government for most other transportation agencies during the same period, which include the following: Federal Aviation Commission, Federal Transit Authority, United States Coast Guard, Federal Railroad Administration, and the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
A worldwide study of the use of intoxicating substances by truck drivers that was published in the Occupation and Environmental Journal was noted by the FMCSA in comments to Reuters, “Safety is our number one priority and the FMCSA has strict requirements on pre-employment screening and random and post-accident drug and alcohol testing….”
The study also found that certain truck drivers were more likely to be prone to test positive for drugs or alcohol. Offending drivers were more typically young and inexperienced. Offending drivers were also prone to working nighttime shifts and navigating longer routes. The companies that employed these drivers also tended to be small to medium firms as opposed to large trucking companies. The authors of the study speculated that perhaps larger trucking companies can provide higher salaries and better working conditions. They also suggested that larger trucking companies might be less prone to demand longer driving times and short rest periods, which provide a motivation to use amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and other controlled substances that fight stress, fatigue, and boredom.
Despite federal regulations that mandate screening for intoxicating substances and random drug testing, commercial carriers that disobey these requirements continue to permit drug-impaired truck drivers to navigate our roadways. If you or your love one is injured by a drug-impaired truck driver, you may have a legal claim for damages against the negligent truck driver and/or the indifferent trucking company that fails to conduct required screening, to report infractions, and/or to implement appropriate disciplinary action.
If you have been injured in a commercial trucking accident in Jacksonville or the surrounding areas, our Mississippi Truck Accident Lawyers have successfully represented many victims of negligent truckers and commercial carriers in obtaining compensation for their injuries. At Barrett Law, we are here to help. Contact our firm today at (601)790-1505 to schedule your free consultation, so we can answer any questions you may have regarding filing your claim.
