80,000 Lbs. of Drunk Driver
Tractor trailer
Many thanks to the alert Mower County, Texas Deputy Sheriff that pulled over a drunk Canadian tractor-trailer driver put the cuffs on him. The Austin Daily Herald reported today that the Tractor-trailer driver was pulled over on Interstate 90 in downtown Austin on August 25th for swerving over the center-line and driving along in both lanes.
According to the Deputy, the driver had watery blood-shot eyes and smelled strongly of alcohol. He initially told police he hadn’t been drinking but when that didn’t work he tried telling them that he only had a couple of beers. He stumbled and fell out of the cab and was unable to complete any of the field sobriety tests. When police searched the vehicle they uncovered two nearly empty open bottles of vodka. Authorities also found two bottles of Methadone, a prescription drug. One of the two bottles was not prescribed to the driver. The drunken tractor-trailer driver was taken to the Law Enforcement Center, where he refused to cooperate when asked to give a blood-alcohol test.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), adopted regulations requiring certain commercial motor vehicle operators to be tested for alcohol and drugs in order to reach the goal of a alcohol and drug-free transportation environment. This brochure summarizes the rule as it applies to all motor carriers. The regulations require testing for the following classes of substances:
Marijuana (grass, pot, weed, hash, joint, Acapulco gold)
Cocaine (coke, crack, snow, blow, flake, “C”, rock, base)
Opiates – opium and codeine derivatives – (heroin, horse, “H”, junk, smack, scag, Miss Emma)
Amphetamines – amphetamines and methamphetamines – (uppers, speed, bennies, black beauties, Christmas trees, crystal, mollies, crank, BAM, dexies)
Phencyclidine – PCP – (angel dust, peace pill, hog, supergrass, embalming fluid, rocket fuel, killer weed)
As an experienced Tennessee Tractor-Trailer accident attorney I don’t know where to start on this one. This jerk is pulling 80,000 lbs of freight, at speed, over a busy downtown interstate highway eating Methadone and swilling vodka. There are people alive today in Austin who wouldn’t be if that Deputy hadn’t made the stop. It also appears to me that the Canadian trucking company that this guy drove for had dropped the ball in terms of it’s responsibility to alcohol and drug test this guy.
As an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident attorney I strongly urged each and every driver to immediately report errant driving by someone like this guy to your local law enforcement agency. Drop a dime and save a life. If you or a friend or loved one are injured in a tractor-trailer accident call our experienced attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn about your rights and the remedies.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
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