rambo19:
Cannot see the problem with drink/drug testing.
When the agency send me for my next job, I wonder what the transport manager would say if I said “I’ve been sent here to do a day’s work for you, but before you give me the keys and the paperwork, could you just have a ■■■■ in this cup?” 
One of the shipping companies I used to work for told me I had to randomly check a couple of crew members once a month for alcohol so I used to inform them that I would be needing some volunteers the next morning, worked a treat and just as well they never tested me …
This is something that was meant to be in at our place but company and union cannot agree on certain points and so far it hasn’t,We were given a booklet to read though about it once and it stated if you are taking off the shelf cold tablets or hay fever tablets to inform the testing people(it was going to be outside company that tested you) as certain products will register as drugs,cough medicine also has to be declared.
Not sure what’s happening with it yet as union and company can’t get any closer to agreement…
switchlogic:
Harry Monk:
dbk23:
albion:
Conducted a drugs test on one of ours not long ago after a tip off from a customer. The one and only time I’ve done a drug test, hair sample. Habitual user of crack cocaine. And I have no doubt about the veracity of the results.Jesus Christ!! There’s something very wrong with your company if someone who use that regularly can escape anyone’s attention. That isn’t the type of thing you can hide, even to someone who isn’t wise on these things.
Actually, that isn’t quite accurate. I knew a bloke once who was a heroin addict. He held down a very responsible job, dressed immaculately, owned a six bedroomed house, a fairly high-end car, and nobody outside his immediate circle of friends had a clue. It would be wrong to assume that all drug addicts sit in shop doorways with a mongrel dog on a string begging for spare change.
This, high functioning addicts become experts at covering their tracks and decieving people
Not whilst addicted to crack cocaine they don’t? Even using it once a week people around the user would pick up on things. I had a firmer best mate become hooked on crack, there is NO hiding.
Harry Monk:
rambo19:
Cannot see the problem with drink/drug testing.When the agency send me for my next job, I wonder what the transport manager would say if I said “I’ve been sent here to do a day’s work for you, but before you give me the keys and the paperwork, could you just have a ■■■■ in this cup?”
Can see it happening now. I can imagine eagerbeaver holding his water all morning, walks into his new job at xyz logistics, goes into the Tms office where he is informed he must p in a cup. Walk over to the tms desk, out comes knob, proceeds to ■■■■ in the tms morning coffee, let’s out a satisfied “ahh”. “Ok boss, cups full, where’s my keys?”
Walks out while a mixture of coffee and ■■■■ soak into all the tms paperwork
Always remember one random drug test at a particular firm.
One of my colleagues who was a pound-shop Maggie Thatcher and who I didn’t like much (and who didn’t like me), and who had overheard my liberal attitudes to drugs, was waiting with baited breath for my result, and expressed visible surprise on her face when I didn’t fail (I’ve never been a drug user).
I’d pointed out on previous occasions that many drugs, in moderation, improve attention and work performance - amphetamine was issued to soldiers once upon a time.
Meanwhile, another colleague spent all morning sweating about the issue, and could barely squeeze a ■■■■ out when it came to it. Fortunately for him he passed too. 
But the crazy company (which was already suffering financially) sent half it’s staff down the road following the results, and a number of good managers took a tumble as well because they were accused of turning a blind eye to it (the reality was they couldn’t get any warehouse staff that didn’t indulge at the weekends). Caused utter operational chaos and a haemorrhage of cash. I said afterwards, I don’t think they’ll want to do any tests again for a while.
Rjan:
Always remember one random drug test at a particular firm.One of my colleagues who was a pound-shop Maggie Thatcher and who I didn’t like much (and who didn’t like me), and who had overheard my liberal attitudes to drugs, was waiting with baited breath for my result, and expressed visible surprise on her face when I didn’t fail (I’ve never been a drug user).
I’d pointed out on previous occasions that many drugs, in moderation, improve attention and work performance - amphetamine was issued to soldiers once upon a time.
Meanwhile, another colleague spent all morning sweating about the issue, and could barely squeeze a ■■■■ out when it came to it. Fortunately for him he passed too.
But the crazy company (which was already suffering financially) sent half it’s staff down the road following the results, and a number of good managers took a tumble as well because they were accused of turning a blind eye to it (the reality was they couldn’t get any warehouse staff that didn’t indulge at the weekends). Caused utter operational chaos and a haemorrhage of cash. I said afterwards, I don’t think they’ll want to do any tests again for a while.
They still use amphetamines, my lad has adhd and was prescribed Ritalin! He was a bloody nightmare! Hyperactive plus speed is not a good combination. Cocaine is still to this day used as a dental anaesthetic, when lidocaine and novacaine fail. Heroin is still used to this day as a painkiller, usually in palliative care but sometimes used for other types of pain. Cannabis can be prescribed for pain conditions, generally ms.
The point is that there are medical uses for most drugs, and that they could be found in people’s systems for legitimate reasons.
The issue is abuse. That is where the problem lies. If I were tested, I take codeine and buprenorphine for my fibromyalgia, consequently I would test positive. I carry a copy of my repeat prescription in my wallet at all times now. But I don’t abuse them, I take them the way that the doctor told me to.
Canada is where I live now has made weed legal old news I know BUT ffs every night at camp the smoke coming from the gov workers camp makes ye think they have pet skunks! !! everyone from the bosses down to the flagmen are baked every night ,now am I complaining hell no what they do after a 14hr day is up to them …we (the truckers are in a dry camp)makes sense we are working close in to people all day so it would be bad if one o us splattered a gov worker ,and I can resist a cider for 13 days 
. point …the gov union will not allow drug testing /drink testing at any worksite /camp and the state o some o them at 530am makes you worry that they will forget we are reversing and let traffic through and that would not be good. Now a few yrs back my running mate and myself were told to go for a drug test so we could haul flyash out of a US owned plant in Saskatchewan (now drug testing in the workforce is illeagal in Canada unless working for a US /Ca carrier (talking drivers here)we only ran MB and SK well I was ok ish with it, it was a 2hr drive in and the same back paid …my running mate was annoyed to say the least an old boy in his 60s never took drugs ,social drinker at weekends and when we gave some hair /saliva we were asked to pee in a cup to check for drink ……he exploded and told them WE LIVE IN CANADA NOT THE ■■■ USA and to stick the test kit up the doctors arse and if they banned him from the site he would sue for defermation of character /loss of wages etc well old rolly still ran into the site until we pulled out of powder tanks. jimmy.
JIMBO47:
Canada is where I live now has made weed legal old news I know BUT ffs every night at camp the smoke coming from the gov workers camp makes ye think they have pet skunks! !! everyone from the bosses down to the flagmen are baked every night ,now am I complaining hell no what they do after a 14hr day is up to them …we (the truckers are in a dry camp)makes sense we are working close in to people all day so it would be bad if one o us splattered a gov worker ,and I can resist a cider for 13 days
Just a bit of sniff for you on a Friday night, then?
na on the magners (only the best imported cider for me lol)
kr79:
switchlogic:
kr79:
Just realy think we need to be more grown up about drugs in this and other country’s andThis. Very much this
Can’t see it happening if anything the world is becoming more puritanical
Recreational Marijuana is soon to be legal in Canada. It’s going to be a bit of a problem for those that cross the border into the USA, the CBP have the right to ask if you’ve used any drugs as you pull up to the booth, if you say yes, you’re not getting in and will be banned from entering the country, possibly indefinitely, if you say no they can legally demand a test, if you fail, you add making a false declaration to the fact that you have drugs in your system and will most likely get a free room and an orange overall for a while, before being banned indefinitely from returning to the USA. All for a couple of puffs on a spliff ffs. Madness.
As it stands for lorry drivers, you have to be part of a random drug and alcohol testing programme before you’re eligible to cross the border, so legalizing recreational use will make no difference, you can’t touch the stuff at all.
When I arrived in Canada ten years ago the first thing I had to do was go for a drug test, literally I turned up at the place I was going to be working and was sent for testing immediately. A friend who knew that he could have problems with this as he used to smoke the wacky baccy had shaved his entire body the morning before going for the test, it was in vain as you only had to ■■■■ in a cup! He is a ginger though, so it wasn’t all bad lol.
I did have a problem on a random test once, not because I had anything in my system, but because I couldn’t pee on demand. I had an 11am appointment and after getting up and having my morning pee, I was set for the day, trying to fill a cup was impossible and I told the tester that I would usually go all day without another ■■■■, I was told that I was not able to leave the room and allowed to drink up to half a litre of water, if that didn’t work in an hour then I automatically failed the test. Luckily I managed a dribble and passed, but that could have had serious implications had I not been able to go.
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no1dieselman:
What a load of ■■■■■■■■. Cut out the mock indignation. Alcohol consumption is legal and if you drive under the legal limit you have done no wrong. Drug taking is illegal and as noted can be picked up some time after the event.
I am all for personal freedoms, but it only takes one bad apple to turn the whole barrel. An outsider reading your responses would think WTF It is no wonder that most drivers are seen as no good illiterate knuckle draggers. Relax, do you heart a favour
Why is drug use illegal? That’s the question, hard drugs don’t need an explanation, but Marijuana/Cannabis do, it’s less damaging than alcohol, to the NHS, police and the human body, so what’s the problem? Taxation, that’s what it’s all about, they can’t tax it.
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Sorry what’s been happening I’m slightly tatered after a few bevy’s??
I Think the reason a lot of this drugs an alcohol testing has come in is because public health and welfare companies like Serco etc can get work offering their services to other big companies to basically show that they are “considerate contracter’s”? Looking after the health of their staff. When in reality they could be mainly penalising a few mainly hard working people for having a good weekend every now and then?
newmercman:
kr79:
switchlogic:
kr79:
Just realy think we need to be more grown up about drugs in this and other country’s andThis. Very much this
Can’t see it happening if anything the world is becoming more puritanical
Recreational Marijuana is soon to be legal in Canada. It’s going to be a bit of a problem for those that cross the border into the USA, the CBP have the right to ask if you’ve used any drugs as you pull up to the booth, if you say yes, you’re not getting in and will be banned from entering the country, possibly indefinitely, if you say no they can legally demand a test, if you fail, you add making a false declaration to the fact that you have drugs in your system and will most likely get a free room and an orange overall for a while, before being banned indefinitely from returning to the USA. All for a couple of puffs on a spliff ffs. Madness.
As it stands for lorry drivers, you have to be part of a random drug and alcohol testing programme before you’re eligible to cross the border, so legalizing recreational use will make no difference, you can’t touch the stuff at all.
When I arrived in Canada ten years ago the first thing I had to do was go for a drug test, literally I turned up at the place I was going to be working and was sent for testing immediately. A friend who knew that he could have problems with this as he used to smoke the wacky baccy had shaved his entire body the morning before going for the test, it was in vain as you only had to ■■■■ in a cup! He is a ginger though, so it wasn’t all bad lol.
I did have a problem on a random test once, not because I had anything in my system, but because I couldn’t pee on demand. I had an 11am appointment and after getting up and having my morning pee, I was set for the day, trying to fill a cup was impossible and I told the tester that I would usually go all day without another ■■■■, I was told that I was not able to leave the room and allowed to drink up to half a litre of water, if that didn’t work in an hour then I automatically failed the test. Luckily I managed a dribble and passed, but that could have had serious implications had I not been able to go.
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I had pretty much same problem.
I had to go to battersea to do this test.
Got thereca bit early so went in to Starbucks had a drink and a pee before I left. Had a stroll down to the place and of course didn’t realy want to go.
Trying to fill the little cup seemed like trying to fill a bucket up
newmercman:
no1dieselman:
What a load of ■■■■■■■■. Cut out the mock indignation. Alcohol consumption is legal and if you drive under the legal limit you have done no wrong. Drug taking is illegal and as noted can be picked up some time after the event.
I am all for personal freedoms, but it only takes one bad apple to turn the whole barrel. An outsider reading your responses would think WTF It is no wonder that most drivers are seen as no good illiterate knuckle draggers. Relax, do you heart a favourWhy is drug use illegal? That’s the question, hard drugs don’t need an explanation, but Marijuana/Cannabis do, it’s less damaging than alcohol, to the NHS, police and the human body, so what’s the problem? Taxation, that’s what it’s all about, they can’t tax it.
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There’s a very interesting book called Dope Girls, by Marek Kohn, that goes some way to explaining why drugs are illegal, not a huge tome and only a few quid on ebay.
With regards to the topic, my immediate thought is that if you are so mentally challenged as to be unfit to drive through the use of drugs and/or alcohol, then you deserve to be caught out and imprisoned for a period of time.
The problem is (like most aspects within the haulage industry), we have too many imbeciles driving lorries. There will always be idiots within our ranks who drag the job down. I personally don’t take drugs (never been interested tbh), and rarely drink alcohol. Various reasons including not wanting to feel like crap afterwards and being far too tight fisted to ■■■■ my money down the drain 
I got randomly breath tested at P&H and I must admit that I felt a bit annoyed at being asked, but I cannot honestly say that I lost any sleep over it.
As a side note, anyone been watching the " Real narcos " documentary with Jason Fox? Dismembered bodies thrown in the street, drug lords running towns & whole valleys 
Maybe worth a passing thought next time you snort a line on the complete misery involved to get it to you?.. 
It seems a lot of the problem with cannabis now is the stuff you get now is it’s no longer a natural plant it’s been genetically modified with different seeds to make it much stronger and potent than stuff you would of had years ago.
I think that’s where the mental health issues come in with some folks.
Not a thing thatcever appealed to me as the smell makes me feel ill
kr79:
It seems a lot of the problem with cannabis now is the stuff you get now is it’s no longer a natural plant it’s been genetically modified with different seeds to make it much stronger and potent than stuff you would of had years ago.
I think that’s where the mental health issues come in with some folks.
Not a thing thatcever appealed to me as the smell makes me feel ill
I think to a degree that is the law of unintended consequences in action. HMRC got so good at detecting cannabis importation that it spawned a huge home-grown market and stronger strains evolved to make use of more limited growing space. I read a while ago that the UK is now a net exporter of cannabis.
Edit, double post.
Yeah I knew most was grown here now there’s a few shops near where I work sell all the growing equipment.