How do you feel about sharing the road with someone who takes prescription narcotics on a regular basis? Is it even legal to drive a truck while on such medications?
It is my understanding that yes, it’s more than likely legal as long as you have a prescription in your name. BUT, if you are involved in an accident and these meds are found to be in your system, you could be charged with DUI! Some doctors however, will not prescribe such medications to a truck driver.
The larger carriers will not hire you if you are even on an antidepressant let alone narcotics. But, from the data that I have been looking at, it seems to be legal as long as you have a prescription. A random drug screen with show what you are taking but as long as you have that bottle with your name on it, you are probably legal. However if the 
particular substance is not allowed by your company, you will be subject to termination. You can also be terminated if it was not disclosed on your application.
It is also my understanding that the rules will soon be changed regarding this matter. More specific guidelines have been promised and the grey areas should be eliminated.
I recently met a driver that worked for a small independent company. We talked a bit and then he said he was going to go pop a soma and an oxi and hit the bed. I said to him “you take that shit and drive?” he said. “hell yeah, I have a prescription” I asked him if it was legal and he said it was as long as he had a prescription. Turns out he’s on VA disability for a disk problem and the VA has no idea that he is a truck driver and freely prescribes these narcotics which he has been on for an extended period of time. I don’t know about you, but to me , that’s kinda scary!
So I’m making phone calls and searching on-line for information on banned substances. I found a multitude of information, none of which was clear. Some of the information was contradictory and none of it seems to be clear cut. I found frequent use of the phrases “it is recommended”,and “it is not recommended” in many of the lists of rules and regulations regarding drugs or medical conditions. I also found many exemption phrases like “shall be evaluated” or “may be permitted”. I consider these to be “grey area” phrases. So what IS legal? From what I have seen so far, nothing is really clear!
The following statement is what I found on the FMCSA site and is part of a medical form.
”Shall not be addicted to the use of narcotics or habit-forming drugs, or the excessive use of alcoholic beverages or liquors.”
I found a few substances that were listed individually and the phrase, “it is not recommended” was used. So does that mean yes or no?
Help me out here! Does anyone know where I might be able to get a real answer to this! I’m tired of digging through the muck here! I’d like some real answers here!
i too would like a definate answer to the subject of what is permissable. just curious.
i am a retired firefighter, and still carry a paramedic cert for the state of Arizona. after experiencing the collosion (pardon the pun) of substances and motorvehicles, as a subject, sufice it to say, there are memories best forgotton. but as a memory is, events are burned in, never to be removed. i also know for a certainty, that habitual personalaties and moving things will always be together. my move back to trucking as a post retirement adventure is sadly not as professional as i had hoped it would be. things are better in so far as lagitimate weeding out due to drug testing, however there is still an eliment that is best discribed as scary. still i believe that the best offense is a good defense.
Thank you for your responce and you are right about things being scary out here. Some of the things hat people say they do floors me sometimes. I wrote this because in the past ten years, I have seen the potheads, and the crackheads turn to pill heads, and legally. When I first started in this busuness, I ran into drivers qiote a bit that were getting high on street drugs with not a care in the world. it was commonplace because there was always a way of beating the drug test. In fact I can remember listening in on many conversations where drivers were not only talking about the great smoke they had the night before, but were also discussung how they got around drug testing. With the tests becoming more sofisticated and also testing for synthetics and masking agents, these drivers have found a legal way to “get high”. There is a major problem with prescription drug abuse now. Some drivers are even selling their pills right over the CB radio, so to some, it has become profitable too.
A reliable soarce tells me that this is going to come to a screeching halt very soon. there are going to be very strict regulations on narcotics that will not only cut down on the abuse but may also affect some drivers who take these drugs for legitimate reasons.
I am not to say what is or isn’t right or what should be allowed. All I know is that thee has been a problem and the only way some people think it can be fixed is to crack down on all of it.