Marijuana violations have taken over 10,000 truck drivers off the road this yr, adding extra supply chain disruptions

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer shelves, and inflated prices have develop into the norm for American customers over the past two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges causing provide chain points, including a scarcity of truck drivers to move goods from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the motive force scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly as a result of growing older population and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get extra truck drivers on the road by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of business licenses. Nonetheless, that received’t have an effect on one other hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines across the U.S. which are contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a growing variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which might quickly worsen the already suffering provide chain.

As more states legalize leisure marijuana—4 of which did so previously yr and three more are expected to by the top of 2022—extra truck drivers have examined optimistic for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 business automobile drivers have tested positive for marijuana use. By the identical time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% improve yr over year.

Truck drivers who journey cross-country face inconsistent state regulations as 19 states have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal purposes. But even when a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD whereas off obligation in a state where these substances are legal, they could still be faced with a violation due to the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal degree.

“Whereas states could enable medical use of marijuana, federal laws and coverage do not acknowledge any reliable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial car drivers reads. “Even when a state allows the use of marijuana, DOT laws treat its use as the same as using every other illicit drug.”

Stacker checked out what’s inflicting hundreds of truckers to be removed from their jobs, and the looming domino impact of the continued supply chain disruptions.

Underneath laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—together with marijuana—previous to starting a new job. They can be tested at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Security Administration additionally upped the random drug testing rate from 25% of the average variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use through urinalysis, but there are now new saliva tests being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug test, that may be grounds for termination under DOT laws. At finest, they are temporarily taken off the highway and required to finish an analysis with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation course of, which may sometimes take months.

As of January 2020, employers are additionally required to listing commercial drivers who fail a drug check within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations stay searchable for five years. Potential employers are additionally required to verify the Clearinghouse to see if a business driver had any previous violations, which would forestall them from being hired.

In recent times, more states have legalized both recreational and medical marijuana, making it extra extensively obtainable and used. Nevertheless, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions aside. In accordance with the FMCSA, “a driver might not use marijuana even when [it] is advisable by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even as it’s become legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and other jurisdictions also has not modified the application of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A industrial driver may use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is authorized, but still take a look at constructive for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the road. The American Dependancy Facilities says for infrequent marijuana customers—which means those that use the substance lower than two times per week—it will probably show up of their urine for as much as three days. Someone who makes use of marijuana a number of occasions every week can check optimistic for up to three weeks, and those who use marijuana even more often can “check constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are simply a few of the present points affecting the provision chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise within the U.S., according to a report from the White House, but a rising variety of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that industrial car drivers should bear as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can maintain them from returning to work at all. In response to the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 industrial drivers are at the moment in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, however 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD process. 

If violations continue on the current price, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the supply chain, which suggests larger prices not just for commodities however the price of living at massive.

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