Alcohol Awareness Month: Keep Your Wits About You

As the weather warms up and folks start firing up their grills and summer plans, it’s a pretty safe bet that alcohol is coming along for the ride with some of them. Backyard barbecues, festivals, boating weekends, weddings—you name it. People are always out there making choices. Our job? Stay sharp and stay safe.

Summer Means More Traffic—and More Drunk Drivers

As you already know, when the sun comes out, so do the vacationers, distracted parents, and people towing trailers they've clearly never practiced dragging around. Add a spritz of overconfidence and splash of disregard for safety, and you've got yourself hazardous cocktail rolling down the highway in a sun-faded minivan.

As professional drivers, we have to assume the worst and drive like everyone else is half-asleep or half-buzzed (sometimes both). Keep your following distance, scan the road ahead, and watch for the telltale signs:

• Swerving
• Sudden stops
• Drifting across lanes
• Braking for no reason
• Inconsistent speeds (they’re either flooring it or coasting like they forgot what a gas pedal is)

Remember the Rules Still Apply to Us

Just because this article isn’t about you drinking doesn’t mean it’s not worth a reminder, these are the regs:

• No Alcohol While on Duty: Drivers cannot use alcohol while on duty, operating, or in physical control of a commercial motor vehicle.
• No Alcohol Within 4 Hours of Duty: Drivers cannot use alcohol within 4 hours of reporting for duty or remaining on duty.
• No Alcohol After an Accident: Drivers cannot use alcohol within 8 hours of an accident that requires a post-accident alcohol test, unless the driver has already taken the test or their involvement is discounted.
• BAC Limit: A CDL holder’s BAC cannot be 0.04% or higher while on duty compared to civilians 0.08%
• Testing: Drivers are subject to random, post-accident, and suspicion-based alcohol testing.
• Refusal to Test: Refusing to submit to a required alcohol test is a violation.
• Consequences of Violation: Violations can result in immediate removal from duty for 24 hours, license suspension, job loss, and increased insurance costs.

Also, it’s easy to forget how long alcohol stays in your system. You might feel fine in the morning, but your blood alcohol content might say otherwise. If you're going to enjoy a drink, make sure you’ve got enough time to sleep it off and then some.

Bottom Line: Stay Sober, Stay Sharp, Stay Safe

You know your job. You haul stuff that most folks don’t want to toy with. Your safety margins have to be tighter than the average driver’s.

So, while the world celebrates the season with a few cold ones, you keep doing what you do best: staying focused, staying calm, and watching out for the people who aren’t.

Drive like a pro, because you are one. Let the rookies crash their lawn chairs, not their cars.