I did some research on this but am i right in thinking there’s no law requiring transport firms to do random drug tests on HGV drivers ?
I know testing pre-employment and after an accident are common but apart from that there’s no checks. ?
Here in the States trucking firms are required by law to conduct random drug tests on drivers and don’t need drivers consent.
To my knowledge I’ve never been drug tested in my life!!!
Been tested a few times when in on agency. Suppose it all depends on company policy.
If you pass you get a shift if you don’t your down the road.
Must be something linked in with insurance etc.
Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk
remy:
Here in the States trucking firms are required by law to conduct random drug tests on drivers and don’t need drivers consent.
Fantastic idea 
They should also have what they have in Australia; random roadside drug testing for every driver of any vehicle 
That’ll cut down on the cannabis ■■■■ heads
remy:
I did some research on this but am i right in thinking there’s no law requiring transport firms to do random drug tests on HGV drivers ?I know testing pre-employment and after an accident are common but apart from that there’s no checks. ?
No legally required ones but I’ve worked for companies that conduct random drink and drugs test every day.
Here in the States trucking firms are required by law to conduct random drug tests on drivers and don’t need drivers consent.
Need it here as well. Do it at truckstops too, they’d have a field day at 4-6am when more than a few are rolling out of various truckstops with bars after sinking several pints going to bed just a few hours before and thinking they’re OK.
Thanks for the replies, i am a little surprised this is one law you don’t have.
how is the initial roadside drugs test done ? tother week i posted on here about id seen a fellow at the roadside smiling after picking up a big bottle of pee,someone commented he might be using it later to get thru a drugs test
Company I work for reserve the right to test drivers they suspect are under the influence. They tried to bring in random spot checks recently, but decided against it when night drivers said (quite rightly) that they would only consent to being tested at the start of their shifts if the same applied to the day drivers, who the office staff had said would be tested at the end of shift, just so they didn’t have to get out of bed early.
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
corij:
how is the initial roadside drugs test done ? tother week i posted on here about id seen a fellow at the roadside smiling after picking up a big bottle of pee,someone commented he might be using it later to get thru a drugs test
The initial one is essentially a pregnancy test looking type thing. You put some reactive solution on a swab, rub it on forehead or neck or inner elbow, click it back in the holder and submerge it in supplied solution. A few seconds later a control line will show in a window. If there’s a secind line it’s positive and you’re pregnant 
I mean you’ll be carted off for proper testing.
On cheating a test there’s other ways to cheat a urine sample other than risking picking some random pee off the road.
remy:
I did some research on this but am i right in thinking there’s no law requiring transport firms to do random drug tests on HGV drivers ?I know testing pre-employment and after an accident are common but apart from that there’s no checks. ?
Here in the States trucking firms are required by law to conduct random drug tests on drivers and don’t need drivers consent.
There’s no compulsory drug testing in the UK. Some companies do it as company policy, but no company can force a driver to submit to a drug test, this would be assault.
I knew somebody who worked for Sainsbury’s. When he was putting his truck through the truckwash, the brush broke his mirror arm off. They made him take a drug test because of it. He tested negative. They didn’t have the facilities on site to test for alcohol so they told him he would have to drive in his own car, in his own time, to another depot 50 miles away to do a breath test.
He said “I’m not doing that, I might have been drinking”. 
Conor:
remy:
I did some research on this but am i right in thinking there’s no law requiring transport firms to do random drug tests on HGV drivers ?I know testing pre-employment and after an accident are common but apart from that there’s no checks. ?
No legally required ones but I’ve worked for companies that conduct random drink and drugs test every day.
Here in the States trucking firms are required by law to conduct random drug tests on drivers and don’t need drivers consent.
Need it here as well. Do it at truckstops too, they’d have a field day at 4-6am when more than a few are rolling out of various truckstops with bars after sinking several pints going to bed just a few hours before and thinking they’re OK.
And you would know that how
Some people have a life
Harry Monk:
There’s no compulsory drug testing in the UK. Some companies do it as company policy, but no company can force a driver to submit to a drug test, this would be assault.
Maybe they can’t force you to do any testing as such but if you refuse it’s obvious the next thing they’ll do instant suspension
Our lots introducing random testing starting soon, given there’s more days in the month than drivers it’s plain everyone is going to get tested at some point over the month!
Personally couldn’t care less myself, I’ve never drunk when working, only on my off days
Probably because we’ve recently have a couple test positive on the road that it’s been introduced
There’ll be the normal whining about it from the certain mouthpieces at work but I’m all for it in the case of preventing drink driving !
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Harry Monk:
remy:
I did some research on this but am i right in thinking there’s no law requiring transport firms to do random drug tests on HGV drivers ?I know testing pre-employment and after an accident are common but apart from that there’s no checks. ?
Here in the States trucking firms are required by law to conduct random drug tests on drivers and don’t need drivers consent.
There’s no compulsory drug testing in the UK. Some companies do it as company policy, but no company can force a driver to submit to a drug test, this would be assault.
I knew somebody who worked for Sainsbury’s. When he was putting his truck through the truckwash, the brush broke his mirror arm off. They made him take a drug test because of it. He tested negative. They didn’t have the facilities on site to test for alcohol so they told him he would have to drive in his own car, in his own time, to another depot 50 miles away to do a breath test.
He said “I’m not doing that, I might have been drinking”.
If a driver was selected for a random where i used to work he had to go to a nearby clinic and urine samples were extracted (ouch) in a controlled environment by trained technicians. However it was not tested there but sent miles away to another location so it might be several days before it’s tested. But the good news was they’d let you continue driving till they got the results.
Personally (as an agency driver) if was was drug tested by a client I had been assigned to then I would agree to undertake the test but I would refuse to do any more work for them, unless they agreed that I had every right to conduct drug tests on them.
Harry Monk:
Personally (as an agency driver) if was was drug tested by a client I had been assigned to then I would agree to undertake the test but I would refuse to do any more work for them, unless they agreed that I had every right to conduct drug tests on them.
Ha ha yes, sometimes i think the dispatchers/planners should be tested 
yup Remy as I now plan to venture into the northern USA in my new job I have to get drug tested before employment,up in the white north if the company doesn’t cross the border no tests are needed (well ish if the customer demands it ,it causes a lot of agro from drivers telling their employer to stick it as its not in Canadian law).
Our lot do random drug and alcohol testing.
You also have to do one if involved in an accident no matter how small.
I’ve never been tested yet myself and doubt I ever will unless it’s due to an accident.
It’s a simple pee test and sent off to a lab that checks it properly.
I don’t have any issue with it as I know I will pass unless the result is wrong, and if it was wrong and came up positive somehow then I’d get suspended on full pay to be sat at home until it gets resolved.
No problem with the chance of being at home getting paid if it ever happened and came back positive lol
This happened in my work: telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/1 … -tribunal/
Be a bit careful with the “I have nothing to hide so bring it on” viewpoint. These tests they use don’t always meet the standard of accuracy you might expect. A company just needs “reasonable cause” to take disciplinary action, and some seem to think a cheap inaccurate test, or a breathaliser they haven’t bothered to calibrate in years, gives them that. There are sound reasons why you might fail a test despite being totally innocent as well (in his case it was trace amounts from handling cash, he WAS innocent).
People have lost their jobs because the test is inaccurate, or the employer doesn’t understand what the results actually mean!
SJB:
This happened in my work:
telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/1 … -tribunal/Be a bit careful with the “I have nothing to hide so bring it on” viewpoint. These tests they use don’t always meet the standard of accuracy you might expect. A company just needs “reasonable cause” to take disciplinary action, and some seem to think a cheap inaccurate test, or a breathaliser they haven’t bothered to calibrate in years, gives them that. There are sound reasons why you might fail a test despite being totally innocent as well (in his case it was trace amounts from handling cash, he WAS innocent).
You’ll always get the ‘‘If you’ve nothing to hide/nothing to worry about’’ dicks mate, those who have no self respect, or pride and who will bend over cheeks parted at the drop of a hat, for whatever degrading act they are told to do.
I don’t do drugs and I don’t drive ■■■■■■■ but I would be highly miffed if asked by some officious 2at in an office to do any ■■■■ test that in my view would be an insult to my integrity and professionalism.
Test done by the Police? …
Not a problem with that whatsoever, so I aint sure how I’d react…or maybe I am.
I know of one particular guy in one particular firm who is famous for rec drug taking at weekends, and due to the nature of his job, it would be HIM doing the testing.
Downright ■■■■ Inappropriate and ironic or what?? 
SJB:
This happened in my work: telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/1 … -tribunal/Be a bit careful with the “I have nothing to hide so bring it on” viewpoint. These tests they use don’t always meet the standard of accuracy you might expect. A company just needs “reasonable cause” to take disciplinary action, and some seem to think a cheap inaccurate test, or a breathaliser they haven’t bothered to calibrate in years, gives them that. There are sound reasons why you might fail a test despite being totally innocent as well (in his case it was trace amounts from handling cash, he WAS innocent).
People have lost their jobs because the test is inaccurate, or the employer doesn’t understand what the results actually mean!
First Bus has a drug problem