A Few Thoughts On Hair Follicle Drug Tests

Well this is something that I didn't give much thought until now. Given my lifestyle and former career choices, not something I even worried about. So, when I decided I was ready to sign on with a company, the idea that I could fail a drug test didn't even register... Until today...

I just received my Class-A CDL (no restrictions). Obviously, I would have to have a DOT card in order to have the license, and in order to have the DOT card, I'd have to pass a drug test. No problems getting this far..

Then the company with whom I'm scheduled to attend an orientation in 2 weeks sends me an order for both a DOT drug test and a hair follicle test to be done at a 3rd party facility the beginning of next week. "No problem" I thought. "No problem" has been my motto regarding this part of the hiring process ever since I decided I wanted to begin a career in the trucking industry. "Only people with drug habits worry about drug tests" I thought as I emailed my recruiter the confirmation that I'd be present at the chosen time and location to pee in a cup, offer a few strands of my hair, and show I'm responsible enough to not cause an accident while operating their machinery.

It's at that moment I remembered the CBD gummies I took 5 or 6 months back- I can't remember exactly when since the idea that I'd become a trucker hadn't yet crystalized in my mind.. and because I only took them at night to help me sleep during the weekends when the bar next to my house packed with noisy drunk people would blast reggaeton (along with the occasional gunshot popped off by a patron in the parking lot) til all hours of the night.

I then remembered that around the same time I went to see a doctor and was prescribed two medications (one for the same reason as the CBD) as the stress of not being able to sleep was starting to cause acid reflux. One of those medications was Pepcid, the other was a benzodiazepam which I failed to mention to my recruiter during the interview. I took maybe 3 and a half tablets, total, over the course of the time I was prescribed them, and had completely forgotten about them.

I honestly didn't like the way the medication made me feel.. foggy and jellyfish-like, as was the case with the CBD gummies which I took over the course of about 6 weeks.

I eventually solved my problem; I no longer live next to a bar.....

...Enough backstory...

At this point I'm realizing the potential for what seemed trivial a few weeks ago to cause me serious problems, so I call a friend of mine who's an OTR trucker and explain the situation to him. He advises me to call my recruiter and try postpone the hair follicle test for about a month.

I get ahold of the recruiter. After explaining to her what I told my friend (I'm one of those people who thinks honestly wins at the end of the day.. and then regrets it), she tells me she's going to discard my application and that I can call her back in five months.

So now I'm doing damage control.. by the way it's my 49th birthday and I'm feeling the shame a typical drug addled low life must feel.. but there's no point in beating myself up. I'm sure every recruiter deals with those people on the regular as I'm sure they pop up on here from time to time lamenting their perceived injustice of being denied a job because they made lousy choices.

Honestly, I'm glad there are strict guidelines as far as substance use and operating a commercial vehicle are concerned. The rules are there to save lives. I'm just a bit irritated that instead of being a responsible person and a considerate neighbor, I could instead be one of those loudmouth drunks boozing it up at the bar next to my house.. some insufferable tool who spends half his paycheck getting wasted every night, passes out in a pool of his own vomit, and then goes to a job the next day.. which happens to be driving a commercial vehicle.

My only thought now is to have my own hair follicle test done. I have to get a doctor's order and they'll do it at a LabCorp in my town. Chances are nothing will show up anyway. Assuming the results come back negative, I could then contact that recruiter with the results. Even if they decided to schedule another follicle test, or if I had to apply to another company, at least I'd know it's no longer an issue. Had I just taken the hair follicle drug test issue more seriously.. and not been in such a rush to get hired.. none of this would be happening.

What drug test to get a CDL or DOT physical? The only purpose of the urinalysis is to check for blood, proteins, and sugar levels in the urine. Any other testing will be pre-employment, during orientation, probable cause, or a random draw. Hair follicle testing is a company requirement by only certain companies. It is not a federal requirement, although a failure will be a giant black mark on a driver's record.

A lot of judgement, hypocrisy and lack of accountability in that post.

"I made choices that affect my employability via THC and prescription medications. I neglected to tell my recruiter about the RX meds, and now I'm not hired."

There. Fixed that for you. 🤷‍♀️

My only thought now is to have my own hair follicle test done

I think that's the way to go. Be careful to ensure the results stay private. I don't know the laws or procedures that govern an individual getting a drug test. Make sure there's absolutely no chance that anyone else can know the results.

As PackRat mentioned, a failed drug test is likely a death sentence for your trucking career for several years. Be very careful about this process.

Thanks,

That's very good advice, and I'm glad to know I'm on the right path by doing a private test. I will definitely keep those results to myself. I'm anticipating a negative test for all panels but I think it's better to play it safe.

A friend of mine who was a habitual cannabis user went clean for a year before applying to any companies. In his case passing a drug test was the most relevant aspect of the hiring process.

I wish I had given it the same attention. Now I'm paying the price. I'm hoping if I play my cards right, this will be a valuable learning experience at the most and not a death sentence for my trucking career.

At this point I'm doing some intensive damage control. I'm going to pay for a private test which will coincide within a day of the date of my pre-employment test.

I'm a bit worried that by not even taking the pre-employment drug test, it will be counted as a refusal- something I'm anticipating as being the equivalent of a failed test. I'm hoping this won't be the case.

I'm looking at my tenstreet portal and it looks like I'm still scheduled to appear for the test. I received an email this morning notifying me to appear at the scheduled time on Monday.

I'm hoping it's something I can just disregard since this all happened during the weekend and the lab is currently closed, as are the recruiting offices. The recruiter did say she was cancelling the application. When I click on that document on my tenstreet profile, it's blank. I hope this means it's deleted.

I called the lab and left a message explaining I decided to go with a different company after being scheduled for a pre-employment drug screening. Since my application is now cancelled, I will be doing a different test with another company at their chosen time and facility and therefore have to cancel the appointment.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to do next. I will have an appointment with an MD on Tuesday for a private test done at a LabCorp in the same facility. After that I suppose it all comes down to whether or not anything shows up.

I've already applied to another company who only does urine tests. I'm more than confident it will be negative regardless of the number of substances they test for.

I should mention that I'm ignorant as to what sort of hair follicle test the pre-employment drug test scheduled by the former would have been. My personal one will be a 5 panel test as it covers the major substances. A 9-10 panel test would cover benzodiazapines, for which I have a doctor's prescription.

The next recruiter I talk to, I'll be sure NOT to omit this detail. Even though it was prescribed as-needed and I decided fairly quickly that I DON'T need it. I won't make the same mistake I made last week. The small amount I took months ago won't show up in a urine test anyway, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about.

I definitely won't take this lightly again. Just because someone isn't a habitual substance user, doesn't mean they shouldn't worry about pre-employment drug screening. If anything it's all the more reason to be vigilant about what you put in your body.

In my case it was a brief period of trying to find the right sleep aid. I didn't do anything illegal, and I certainly didn't drive a motor vehicle or operate any machinery within 8 hours of taking a legal substance. I wasn't a trucker at that time. Trucking wasn't even on my radar.

But it doesn't matter. I screwed up. Maybe it's something I can correct.. I'll know soon enough. I'm just hoping I don't have to pay too heavy a price for my mistakes.

Can't imagine a scenario, barring some sort of criminal investigation with a warrant, in which a private drug screen is released to anyone without the consent of the individual being tested.

I was in the drug screening field for three years and the only way we could legally give results to a company was by having the individual sign a letter stating we could do so.

HIPPA applies to drug tests so you can't just give that info out to anyone. You can only really give it out with the consent of the individual being tested.

I think you're smart to get a private test done first. Or just go with a company that only does UA's

I never considered HIPPA.. that's a really good point.

So a private test is not something a company would ever have access to without my consent, but what about a company ordered test that I DID give written consent to?

Monday is when I'm supposed to be present at the lab facility designated by the company to whom I gave my written consent to collect urine and hair samples to be tested.

The recruiter was supposed to have stopped the application process as this company will not be hiring me. It does appear, however, the recruiter may have failed to notify the lab that I'm no longer an applicant to the company.

This is where my point of concern lies; if I do not show up to test at this facility at the scheduled time will it count as a refusal?

If so, will other companies be able to access THAT information?

Am I now, or after the date of the company ordered screening I consented to, required to say on an application that I refused to take a company pre-employment drug test?

Given I have also decided for other reasons that better prospects lie elsewhere, and don't wish to continue applying to this company, I would now be obligated to not only travel over 100 miles round trip, but also pick up the tab on whatever the lab costs would be. My estimate is that it would be somewhere upwards of $400-$500 with no company reimbursement.

I've given this company consent to have samples of my hair and urine collected and analyzed by this lab and those results they have access to but I'm no longer an applicant.

I'm not exactly sure what my rights are, or if HIPPA still applies in this case. I gave written consent to have my body tested but the employment application is now (supposedly) voided.... And what about a no-show?

Neither the lab workers nor the workers at the company where I applied are law enforcement officers so I'm not sure if the same law applies where if I refuse to be tested for the presence of a substance in my system if I'm operating a vehicle, it's legally the equivalent of testing positive.

Really not sure how any of this works or how it will play out.

The only thing I've got going for me now is that I've already applied to another company that only does urine tests, and at the time of the application had not ever refused to take a drug test.

I hope I'm not making this more confusing than it needs to be.

Why not contact the previous recruiter, who said they were deleting your app, and hasn't done so?? Just to be sure it's not gunna come back like you've mentioned, and come up as refusal, when you don't show up for that appointment.....

Why not contact the previous recruiter, who said they were deleting your app, and hasn't done so?? Just to be sure it's not gunna come back like you've mentioned, and come up as refusal, when you don't show up for that appointment.....

Better to be safe than sorry. Contact the recruiter but it may be necessary to contact their safety department also to cover all your bases.