Hey Werner people beware of some very shady information I got first hand from a trainer truck the other day.
This trainer has been with the company for while, based out of the Lithia Springs, GA terminal, I was out of hours as were he and his student, so as we were all hanging out at a Flyin Hook down south watchin TV early last week his student tells me this scary story.
This trainer and student were laid over at the Petro on I-285 Exit 12 in Atlanta a day or two before the tornado hit as they tell it, the both of them invited a lizard into the truck, the student says the trainer was doing coke and have a wild 'ol time with this hooker late into that morning, the student was unhappy because he could not sleep was uncomfortable and left the truck to hang inside the Petro until 4ish in the morning.
Now it gets scary, I guess they were dispatched to the terminal to grab a split load, upon their arrival they were told to report to the saftey office, the trainer sent the student in to see what was up, they told the student they needed to see his trainer immediately, as he said they told him don't pass go, tell him to report here immediately.
Yup, the dude was given a DOT drug test, as the student tells it this guy was very nervous about what was about to go down. Later that night the trainer fessed up that he thought he was going to be OK because he laid $400 on the desk where the paperwork fro the test was sitting, he said an older dude that administered the test did not say a word and grabbed the dough and put it in his shirt pocket, if this happened we should all take heed, this guy in charge of collecting that sample pulled some very shady and seriously illegal dealings with a federally mandated drug test.
They said they got out of town a day before the tornado hit Atlanta, it had been several days since the test, the student said his trainer was bragging that morning that saftey would have contacted him if he was in trouble, and how he got away with it, he paid off a DOT drug screener in Atlanta,
I been thinking about this real hard, I am very disturbed that some innocent driver may have had a sample switched out, or some administrative jerk is pocketing money, and fixing tests in exchange for risking an alcohol or drug related fatality that will put another black mark on this industry.
I called the main saftey office in Omaha and told the lady that answered the phone, after I explained my concerns and requested she have someone check out the details of those that were tested around that time, she was interested in the information, but when she asked , I refused to give my name not wanting to get involved with such a mess. I can only hope some innocent driver has not been victimized by this dasterdly deciet on behalf of a messed up fellow truck driver out to save his own skin. I hope that lady in Omaha passed on the info, I just ain't gonna get myself in some jam over illegal government rules. Am I wrong to not get involved?
Be aware of your surroundings, I really believed this student, he had no reason to lie about anything, and you could tell he was scared being with this trainer.
Take this as a lesson, one can't be to careful if chosen for a random, be sure all procedures are followed to the max, and if possible go right out and have another test done at a nuetral site........SCARY STUFF KIDS!!!!