Marijuana violations have taken over 10,000 truck drivers off the road this 12 months, including more provide chain disruptions

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated prices have turn out to be the norm for American consumers over the past two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges causing provide chain points, including an absence of truck drivers to transport items from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driving force scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly due to the getting older inhabitants and shrinking wages.

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

As extra states legalize recreational marijuana—4 of which did so in the past yr and three extra are anticipated to by the top of 2022—extra truck drivers have tested positive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 industrial vehicle drivers have examined constructive for marijuana use. By the same time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% increase yr over 12 months.

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state rules as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal functions. But even when a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD while off responsibility in a state the place these substances are legal, they could nonetheless be faced with a violation due to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy on the federal stage.

“While states may enable medical use of marijuana, federal laws and policy do not recognize any reliable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial car drivers reads. “Even if a state permits using marijuana, DOT rules deal with its use as the identical as using any other illicit drug.”

Stacker looked at what’s inflicting 1000's of truckers to be removed from their jobs, and the looming domino effect of the continued supply chain disruptions.

Underneath regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to starting a brand new job. They will also be tested at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing price from 25% of the typical number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use by way of urinalysis, however there at the moment are new saliva assessments being proposed as effectively.

At worst, if a driver fails just one drug check, that can be grounds for termination under DOT rules. At finest, they're briefly taken off the road and required to complete an analysis with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation course of, which can generally take months.

As of January 2020, employers are additionally required to checklist industrial drivers who fail a drug test within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations remain searchable for five years. Potential employers are also required to examine the Clearinghouse to see if a business driver had any previous violations, which might prevent them from being employed.

In recent years, more states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it more widely out there and used. Nevertheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions apart. Based on the FMCSA, “a driver might not use marijuana even when [it] is really useful by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even because it’s turn out to be legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions also has not modified the application of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A industrial driver might use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is legal, but still take a look at optimistic for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the road. The American Dependancy Facilities says for rare marijuana users—meaning those who use the substance lower than two instances per week—it may well show up of their urine for up to three days. Someone who uses marijuana several instances every week can test constructive for up to three weeks, and those who use marijuana even more steadily can “take a look at constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and goods waiting to be unloaded at ports are just a number of the current issues affecting the availability chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of products throughout the U.S., according to a report from the White House, however a growing variety of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that business car drivers should endure as soon as confronted with a marijuana violation can preserve them from returning to work in any respect. According to the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 industrial drivers are at present in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, however 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD course of. 

If violations continue on the present charge, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the provision chain, which implies larger costs not just for commodities but the price of living at giant.

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