Transport operators are being advised to update their drug and alcohol policies ahead of the rollout of random roadside drug testing from mid-December, following changes to the Land Transport Act.
The amendment gives police the power to stop drivers and test for the presence of four illicit drugs: THC (cannabis), methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. It allows police to require saliva tests in the same way they conduct compulsory breath testing.
If a driver returns two positive saliva tests, they are prohibited from driving for 12 hours and a sample is sent to a laboratory. If the lab confirms an impairing level of drugs, the driver faces a minimum $200 fine and 50 demerits. Refusing a test, or returning a result showing two or more drugs, brings a $400 fine and 75 demerits.
Transporting New Zealand policy and advocacy advisor Mark Stockdale says the industry should be ready for enforcement activity to ramp up.
“Transporting New Zealand supports the introduction of roadside drug testing, which has been running in other countries including Australia,” Stockdale says.
“Crash data shows that around 30% of all road deaths in New Zealand involve the consumption of an impairing drug, which is on a par with drink driving. Evidence from Victoria, Australia shows their roadside drug testing regime saves more than 30 lives and almost 80 serious injuries every year.”
Police expect around 12% of all roadside drug tests to return a positive result.
Stockdale says operators should ensure they have current drug and alcohol policies, including random workplace testing, and speak openly with staff who may have substance-related issues.
“We want road freight businesses to be proactive, rather than risk a driver being stood down at the roadside and putting other road users at risk.”
He also recommends updating employment agreements so drivers must disclose private offending, including drug-driving infringements that occur outside work hours.
“If you employ a truck driver who has failed or refused a random roadside drug test, in their own time and vehicle, it’s important to be notified of that,” he says.
A webinar on the new testing regime, hosted jointly by Transporting New Zealand and the Bus & Coach Association, is available on the Transporting New Zealand website.
Transporting New Zealand represents more than 4,700 road freight businesses, employing over 34,000 people across the sector.
