Driver jailed on drugs charges
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by Ian Wylie • A London agency LGV driver has been jailed for 30 months by Kingston Crown Court and served with a confiscation order for possessing a Class B controlled drug with intent to supply.
Horace McDonald was driving for agency Drake International on a Superdrug contract; he pleaded not guilty.
Superdrug says this is the first time the company has come across any such problem among drivers.
Drake International says McDonald was employed by the company in 1991 and had worked on the Superdrug contract for two months; it had not heard of any problems with McDonald's work or his behaviour. Drake works to Health & Safety Executive guidelines on drug and alcohol abuse and its controllers are asked to be observant on those issues and operates within the drivers' hours legislation.
Li United Road Transport Union chief David Higginbottom says amphetamine use is widespread among LGV drivers in Australia; he fears that pressure on UK drivers could tempt them to follow suit. "It would not surprise me if the use of illegal stimulants became more widespread if drivers are expected to work excessive hours," he says. "Drug abuse is not compatible with driver culture, but times are changing."
El Random drug testing of US truck drivers by their employers has yielded less than 4% positive results, according to the American transport magazine Transport Topics. The US law on random tests, passed five years ago, requires employers to test half their workforce each year.