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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery store cabinets, and inflated prices have become the norm for American shoppers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other 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 motive force scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly due to the growing older inhabitants and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get more truck drivers on the street by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of commercial licenses. Nevertheless, that gained’t affect one other hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines throughout the U.S. which are contributing to an increase in violations. In 2022, a rising variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which may soon worsen the already struggling supply chain.

As extra states legalize recreational marijuana—four of which did so prior to now yr and three more are expected to by the end of 2022—extra truck drivers have tested optimistic for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 commercial car 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 year over yr.

Truck drivers who journey cross-country face inconsistent state rules as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal purposes. However even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD whereas off obligation in a state where those substances are legal, they might still be faced with a violation as a result of Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy on the federal level.

“Whereas states could permit medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and policy do not recognize any reliable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial vehicle drivers reads. “Even when a state allows the usage of marijuana, DOT regulations deal with its use as the identical as the usage of every other illicit drug.”

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

Below laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to beginning a new job. They will also be tested at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration additionally upped the random drug testing price from 25% of the typical variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use by way of urinalysis, but there are now new saliva checks being proposed as well.

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

As of January 2020, employers are additionally required to listing industrial drivers who fail a drug take a look at within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations remain searchable for 5 years. Potential employers are additionally required to verify the Clearinghouse to see if a industrial driver had any previous violations, which would prevent them from being employed.

Lately, more states have legalized each leisure and medical marijuana, making it more extensively out there and used. However, marijuana use is still prohibited for industrial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. In keeping with the FMCSA, “a driver might not use marijuana even if [it] is really helpful 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 application of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing regulations.”

A business driver could use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is authorized, however nonetheless take a look at constructive for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the road. The American Addiction Centers says for infrequent marijuana users—that means those who use the substance lower than two instances per week—it may well show up of their urine for up to three days. Somebody who uses marijuana several occasions per week can check constructive for as much as three weeks, and those who use marijuana much more often can “test optimistic for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing unit closures, and goods waiting to be unloaded at ports are just a number of the present issues affecting the provision chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of products throughout the U.S., based on a report from the White House, however a growing number of industrial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that business automobile drivers should undergo once faced with a marijuana violation can preserve them from returning to work at all. In accordance with the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 industrial drivers are presently in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD process. 

If violations continue at the present charge, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the availability chain, which implies larger costs not just for commodities however the price of dwelling at massive.

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