A study conducted by the Universidade Estadual de Londrina in Brazil on commercial drivers' use of alcohol and drugs has the American Trucking Associations (ATA) calling on news outlets to stop "their inaccurate and sensationalized reporting on a so-called 'study'."
ATA Chairman Phil Byrd, president of Bulldog Hiway Express, Charleston, SC., is taking it especially personal given that one of his mandates as chairman was to increase public respect of professional drivers.
"I can think of nothing more disrespectful than being tarred as a drug user or drunk driver based on inaccurate reporting and a specious study. The outlets that ran with this story, and did not try to verify its accuracy with U.S. data, owe the millions of safe, dedicated drivers that deliver America's most essential goods every day a sincere apology."
The study's findings, ATA said, were based on self-reporting and limited biological testing of drivers from Latin America, Australia and "allegedly the United States."
The results from the study differ considerably from data collected by U.S. authorities based on biological testing of U.S. drivers, ATA pointed out.
"We know from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that in the most recent year available – 2011 – the drug use violation rate for professional truck drivers was 0.9 percent, in other words, less than one percent," said ATA President and CEO Bil Graves.
"Similarly, the alcohol violation rate for U.S. truck drivers was .19 percent in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available.
ATA noted that in 2011 only 1 percent of large truck drivers involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher, compared with 24 percent of car drivers and 29 percent of motorcyclists.
"These numbers show the strength of our industry's commitment to safe highways and the hard work of law enforcement to root out bad actors that comprise a very small percentage of our industry," Graves said.
