A Comparison of Truck Driver Pre-Employment Hair and Urine Drug Test Efficacy

Abstract

Background: To help ensure roadway safety, the federal government mandates trucking companies to conduct pre-employment urine drug tests before allowing drivers to operate a commercial motor vehicle. Unfortunately, urine testing has a short detection window and is easily thwarted, leading some carriers to employ hair testing. Methods: t-tests were utilized to compare hair and urine pre-employment drug test results provided by seven large U.S. trucking companies. Results: results indicate that hair’s positivity rate is statistically greater than urine for each examined drug and across all drugs combined. Conclusions: This paper is the only supply chain work of which we are aware that assesses the statistical differences between hair and urine testing positivity rates. Results support hair testing’s increased ability to prevent lifestyle drug users from operating commercial motor vehicles and should be considered by public policy makers considering whether hair testing results should be allowed into the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.