Driver inclined to career as drug trafficker (5,8)
I believe the answer is:
speed merchant
'driver inclined to career' is the definition.
(career off the road)
'drug trafficker' is the wordplay.
'drug' becomes 'speed' (speed is a kind of drug).
'trafficker' becomes 'merchant' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'speed'+'merchant'='SPEED-MERCHANT'
'as' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for speed merchant that I've seen before include "One who's very quick" , "who doesn't hang around" , "one not hanging about?" , "Habitually fast driver" , "whose rates are high?" .)