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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer shelves, and inflated prices have turn into the norm for American shoppers over the previous two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges causing supply chain points, including a lack 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 due to the ageing inhabitants 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 commercial licenses. Nonetheless, that received’t affect one other hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines throughout the U.S. which can be contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a rising 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 end of 2022—more truck drivers have examined positive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 business automobile drivers have tested positive for marijuana use. By the same time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% improve 12 months over 12 months.

Truck drivers who journey cross-country face inconsistent state laws as 19 states have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states allow it for medicinal functions. However even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD whereas off responsibility in a state the place those substances are authorized, they could nonetheless be confronted with a violation as a result of Department of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy on the federal degree.

“While states might permit medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and policy don't recognize any official medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial automobile drivers reads. “Even when a state permits the use of marijuana, DOT rules treat its use as the identical as the usage of some other illicit drug.”

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

Underneath regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—including marijuana—prior to starting a new job. They may also be tested at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Provider Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing fee from 25% of the typical number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use through urinalysis, however there are now new saliva checks being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug take a look at, that can be grounds for termination below DOT regulations. At finest, they are briefly taken off the street and required to finish an evaluation with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation process, which can generally take months.

As of January 2020, employers are additionally required to record business drivers who fail a drug take a look at within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations stay searchable for 5 years. Potential employers are also required to verify the Clearinghouse to see if a business driver had any earlier violations, which would stop them from being hired.

In recent years, extra states have legalized both leisure and medical marijuana, making it extra broadly available and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions aside. In response to the FMCSA, “a driver could not use marijuana even if [it] is advisable by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even as it’s develop into legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and other jurisdictions also has not modified the application of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A industrial driver may use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is legal, however nonetheless test optimistic for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the road. The American Addiction Centers says for rare marijuana users—meaning those that use the substance less than two occasions every week—it can present up of their urine for up to three days. Someone who makes use of marijuana several occasions every week can take a look at constructive for up to three weeks, and those that use marijuana much more frequently can “test optimistic for a month or longer.”

Shortages, factory closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are just some of the current issues affecting the provision chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise within the U.S., in keeping with a report from the White Home, but a rising number of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that business vehicle drivers should undergo once faced with a marijuana violation can hold them from returning to work in any respect. In response to the FMCSA’s monthly report, 89,650 commercial drivers are currently in prohibited standing as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them have not begun the RTD process. 

If violations continue on the present price, the truck driver shortage will additional disrupt the supply chain, which means higher costs not just for commodities however the price of living at giant.

Copyright 2022 Stacker through Grey Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.