OPERATION TRUCKER CHECK
During a three-day random sweep, 500 truckers volunteered to be tested anonymously for a State Police study. Marijuana, meth and opiates were the top substances found to be used.

"It's a problem bigger than enforcement and state police," said Sgt. Alan Hageman of the p;patrol services division. "It needs to be looked at by the transportation community as a whole." Hageman said the anonymous testing allows state police to survey the kind of drugs present in the trucking community.

Federal regulations require truck drivers to pass a drug test while applying for a job, submit to random testing and if the driver is involved in an accident. Bob Russell, the president of Oregon Trucking Association says, "We continue to be concerned by any drug use by our drivers. Our industry has a zero tolerance, and that's our goal." His organization represents about 85 percent of trucks driven in the state.

David Helton of Truck Safe Workplace provides third-party testing for truck companies. Helton, based out of Aurora, regulates about 1,000 truck drivers and regularly screens a percentage of them randomly on drug and alcohol testing.
Helton said that after the federal regulation began in 1988, failure rates of the randomized testing have dropped significantly. He estimates that about one half of one percent of his drivers have failed their drug testing.

"It's a deterrent. People start realizing they won't have a job, so it forces them to make a choice," Helton said.

For the full article, link to the Statesman Journal.