Marijuana violations have taken over 10,000 truck drivers off the highway this year, including more provide chain disruptions

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery retailer shelves, and inflated prices have change into the norm for American consumers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges inflicting supply chain points, together with an absence of truck drivers to transport items from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driver scarcity had risen to an all-time high of 80,000, partly because of the aging inhabitants and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get more truck drivers on the highway by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of business licenses. Nevertheless, that won’t impact another hurdle: disparate marijuana laws across the U.S. which might be contributing to an increase in violations. In 2022, a growing number of truckers are being taken off the job, which could quickly worsen the already suffering supply chain.

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

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

“While states may allow medical use of marijuana, federal laws and policy don't acknowledge any respectable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial car drivers reads. “Even when a state allows using marijuana, DOT laws treat its use as the same as the use of some other illicit drug.”

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

Underneath laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—including marijuana—previous to starting a new job. They can also be examined at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Security Administration also upped the random drug testing fee from 25% of the average variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use via urinalysis, however there at the moment are new saliva exams being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug check, that may be grounds for termination under DOT rules. At greatest, they are quickly taken off the highway and required to finish an evaluation with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation process, which might generally take months.

As of January 2020, employers are additionally required to record industrial drivers who fail a drug test within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations stay searchable for 5 years. Potential employers are also required to examine the Clearinghouse to see if a commercial driver had any earlier violations, which might forestall them from being hired.

In recent times, extra states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it more widely available and used. However, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for business truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. In keeping with the FMCSA, “a driver could not use marijuana even if [it] is really useful by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even because it’s develop into legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions additionally has not modified the appliance of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing rules.”

A commercial driver might use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place 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 Centers says for rare marijuana users—meaning those that use the substance lower than two instances per week—it may possibly present up in their urine for up to three days. Somebody who uses marijuana a number of times a week can take a look at constructive for up to three weeks, and those that use marijuana much more frequently can “check constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing unit closures, and goods waiting to be unloaded at ports are just some of the current issues affecting the provision chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of products within the U.S., in response to a report from the White Home, but a growing number of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

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

If violations continue at the current charge, the truck driver shortage will additional disrupt the supply chain, which implies increased prices not only for commodities but the cost of dwelling at giant.

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