Marijuana violations have taken over 10,000 truck drivers off the street this 12 months, adding extra supply chain disruptions

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery store cabinets, and inflated prices have change into the norm for American customers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges causing provide chain points, together with a scarcity of truck drivers to transport items from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driving force shortage had risen to an all-time high of 80,000, partly as a result of aging inhabitants and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get extra truck drivers on the street by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of economic licenses. Nevertheless, that received’t impact one other hurdle: disparate marijuana laws across the U.S. which are contributing to an increase in violations. In 2022, a rising number of truckers are being taken off the job, which might quickly worsen the already struggling supply chain.

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

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state laws as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states allow it for medicinal functions. However even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD while off duty in a state the place these substances are authorized, they may nonetheless be faced with a violation because of the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal level.

“Whereas states could enable medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and coverage do not acknowledge any legit medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial car drivers reads. “Even if a state permits the use of marijuana, DOT laws deal with its use as the same as using some other illicit drug.”

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

Under regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—including marijuana—previous to starting a new job. They may also be tested at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Provider Security Administration also upped the random drug testing fee from 25% of the common number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use by way of urinalysis, however there are now new saliva exams being proposed as nicely.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug check, that may be grounds for termination underneath DOT laws. At best, they are temporarily taken off the highway and required to complete an evaluation with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation course of, which can typically take months.

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

In recent years, extra states have legalized both recreational and medical marijuana, making it extra widely out there and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use remains to be prohibited for industrial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. In accordance with the FMCSA, “a driver may 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 change into legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions also has not modified the application of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A business driver might use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is legal, however still test positive for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the street. The American Dependancy Centers says for infrequent marijuana users—that means those that use the substance less than two occasions every week—it will possibly show up of their urine for up to three days. Somebody who uses marijuana several instances per week can take a look at constructive for up to three weeks, and those that use marijuana much more frequently can “check positive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and items ready to be unloaded at ports are just a few of the current points affecting the availability chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of products within the U.S., based on a report from the White House, but a growing variety of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that commercial car drivers must bear as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can preserve them from returning to work in any respect. In response to the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 commercial 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 proceed at the present rate, the truck driver scarcity will additional disrupt the availability chain, which implies greater prices not just for commodities however the price of residing at large.

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