Especially Before an Early Start
Truck drivers in the UK are held to much stricter alcohol limits than private motorists. While the general legal blood alcohol limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood (or 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath), for commercial drivers, the effective policy is zero tolerance. Even a small amount of alcohol in your system can put you over the limit, especially as the government is moving towards even stricter rules and penalties for professional drivers.
Alcohol Lingers Longer Than You Think
Many drivers underestimate how long alcohol stays in the body. A late-night drink can easily leave you over the limit the next morning, especially if you have an early start. The body typically processes about one unit of alcohol per hour, but this varies depending on your weight, age, metabolism, and what you’ve eaten. There’s no quick fix—showers, coffee, or fresh air won’t speed up the process. Only time will clear alcohol from your system.
Safety Risks: Impairment Starts with the First Drink
Even small amounts of alcohol can impair reaction times, judgement, and coordination. For truck drivers, who operate large, heavy vehicles, this risk is magnified. Research shows that impairment can begin well below the legal limit, and drivers often overestimate their ability to drive safely after drinking. This false confidence can lead to catastrophic consequences, including serious accidents and loss of life.
Consequences for Drinkers
Being caught over the limit—even the morning after—can result in an immediate driving ban, a criminal record, and the loss of your job. For professional drivers, a drink-driving conviction is often career-ending. Employers have strict policies, and insurance costs can skyrocket. Repeat offences or high readings can lead to even harsher penalties, including imprisonment.
Protecting Yourself and Others
The safest approach is simple: avoid drinking alcohol if you know you’ll be driving the next day, especially if you have an early start. Plan ahead, and if you do drink, allow plenty of time for the alcohol to leave your system. Remember, your responsibility is not just to yourself, but to everyone else on the road.
Drinking Less
Many of us realise that it is easy to say just drink less, but habit, boredom, stress, social pressure and many other factors contribute to our desire to have a drink every day. This can also lead to binge drinking and the issues related to this.
There is some help in this regard. The use of prescription medication has been working well for people to reduce food consumption and lose weight and there is a similar concept gaining ground that is designed to help you to drink less.
This means that a drink free day becomes a possibility and the chances of being led astray before an early start behind the wheel are reduced. Called the Drink Less Method it uses a technique created many years ago called the Sinclair Method. The methods use a prescription only medication called Naltrexone which prevents your system from enjoying the endorphins (or buzz) released by alcohol consumption. Taking one pill an hour before drinking time over a period of weeks and months should give the drinker more control. Some people describe it as ‘willpower in a pill’.