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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery store shelves, and inflated costs have become the norm for American shoppers over the past 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 move items from one place to another. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driving force scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly because of the getting older 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 commercial licenses. Nevertheless, that received’t have an effect on one other hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines across 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 could soon worsen the already suffering supply chain.

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

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state rules as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states allow it for medicinal purposes. But even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD whereas off duty in a state the place these substances are authorized, they may still be faced with a violation due to the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage on the federal degree.

“Whereas states may enable medical use of marijuana, federal laws and policy do not recognize any legitimate medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial vehicle drivers reads. “Even when a state permits the use of marijuana, DOT laws deal with its use as the same as using some 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 provide chain disruptions.

Beneath laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—together with marijuana—previous to beginning a brand new job. They can be examined at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Provider Safety Administration additionally upped the random drug testing price from 25% of the common variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use by way of urinalysis, however there are actually new saliva exams being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug check, that can be grounds for termination below DOT regulations. At finest, they are quickly taken off the street and required to finish an analysis with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation course of, which can typically take months.

As of January 2020, employers are also required to record business drivers who fail a drug take a look at in 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 industrial driver had any earlier violations, which would prevent them from being employed.

In recent years, more states have legalized each leisure and medical marijuana, making it extra widely obtainable and used. Nevertheless, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions apart. In line with the FMCSA, “a driver could not use marijuana even if [it] is beneficial 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. Department of Transportation drug testing rules.”

A industrial driver might use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is legal, but still check optimistic for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the street. The American Addiction Centers says for rare marijuana users—that means those that use the substance less than two occasions a week—it could actually show up of their urine for up to three days. Somebody who makes use of marijuana a number of occasions every week can test positive for up to three weeks, and people who use marijuana much more often can “check constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are just a number of the current points affecting the supply chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of products inside the U.S., in response to a report from the White Home, but a rising variety of industrial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that industrial vehicle drivers must undergo once faced with a marijuana violation can maintain them from returning to work in any respect. In keeping with the FMCSA’s monthly report, 89,650 business drivers are at the moment in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them have not begun the RTD process. 

If violations proceed at the present rate, the truck driver shortage will additional disrupt the availability chain, which implies larger costs not just for commodities however the cost of dwelling at massive.

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