In a recent check of commercial truckers by Oregon State Police, nearly one in 10 tested positive for some form of controlled drugs.  At the southbound Woodburn Port of Entry, truckers were asked to voluntarily submit a urine sample for testing and of the 487 samples tested, 9.6 percent tested positive in at least one drug category.   The presence of marijuana and opiates were the culprits for the largest percentage of those testing positive.

Similar results were obtained in the first check done of the OSP in 1998.  “An analysis of urine collected at three of the 12 trucker check operations since 1998 does not demonstrate a significant difference in the presence of controlled substances among the commercial motor carrier driver population,” OSP Sgt. Alan Hageman of the Patrol Services Division said in a statement.

With that said, tolerance of impaired driving has undergone a significant shift in the last decade and 10% seems like a number that may raise eyebrows.  Will the numbers cause enough concern that we will soon see mandatory testing of drivers?