Former truckie-turned-bus-driver James Keetels is calling for changes to the roadside drug-testing system after he said a harrowing experience left him fearful of his future behind the wheel.
Keetels, 38, was driving a large tour coach full of school children when he underwent a random drug test at Smiggin Holes in the Blue Mountains at the tail end of the last ski season.
Shockingly, said Keetels, the first swab came back positive for methamphetamine, a drug he said he’s never taken in his life. He can only assume it had something to do with a nose spray he’d ordered from China.
He was immediately placed under arrest in front of all his passengers and 20 other tour coach drivers and then had to give a second saliva sample to be sent to the lab for testing.
He subsequently passed a third swab test which meant he could return to the job, but was left waiting for 10 agonising weeks before he finally got the all-clear.
“During that time, I had no idea whether I was about to lose my driver’s licence, my job and the career I’d worked hard to build,” Keetels said.
“The stress and uncertainty were overwhelming, and my mental health took a big hit.”
Keetels, who got his start in heavy vehicles as a meat carter in heavy rigids, said he chose to share his story to highlight a system he believes unfairly penalises the professional driver.
“I’m all for getting cowboys off the road if you are drug affected but if you’re an innocent party, the process is obviously flawed,” he said.
Keetels said he’d like to see a system in which professional drivers, such as truckies, can “jump” the testing queue rather than be lumped in with everyone else.
He also wants to see better communication in relaying on the results.
Keetels said he was originally told he’d have the results back within two weeks and he also had to do all the chasing himself before finally getting the all-clear after calling the Jindabyne Police Station.
“There is nothing in the place to say that they need to give you a call or send you a letter in the mail or let you know about the process.
“No one should have to wait for months, fearing for their future, only to find out they were clean all along.”
How drug testing in NSW now works
A preliminary test using a drug wipe is undertaken, and if the test returns a negative result the driver will be able to drive away.
However, if there is a positive indication on the drug wipe, they have to provide a sample of oral fluid which is collected and sent for forensic analysis.
The driver is then subjected to a further test using a second drug wipe. If the second drug wipe returns a negative result, the driver will be able to leave without being issued a 24-hour driving prohibition.
However, if the second drug wipe returns a positive indication, they will be issued a 24-hour driving prohibition.
Legal action is determined on the outcome of the forensic analysis of the oral fluid sample, not the drug wipes.
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