Marijuana violations have taken over 10,000 truck drivers off the road this 12 months, including more supply chain disruptions

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery store shelves, and inflated prices have turn into the norm for American customers 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 move goods from one place to another. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driver scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly as a result of ageing population 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 business licenses. Nonetheless, that gained’t impact another hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines across the U.S. which might be contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a growing variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which might soon worsen the already struggling supply chain.

As more states legalize recreational marijuana—4 of which did so prior to now year and three more are anticipated to by the top of 2022—more truck drivers have tested positive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 business car drivers have tested optimistic for marijuana use. By the identical time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% improve yr over yr.

Truck drivers who journey cross-country face inconsistent state laws as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal functions. But even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD whereas off duty in a state where these substances are authorized, they may nonetheless be confronted with a violation due to the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy on the federal degree.

“Whereas states could allow medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and policy don't acknowledge any professional medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial car drivers reads. “Even if a state permits the use of marijuana, DOT rules deal with its use as the same as the usage of any 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 supply chain disruptions.

Below laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—together with marijuana—previous to starting a brand new job. They can be tested 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 typical number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use by way of urinalysis, but there at the moment are new saliva assessments being proposed as effectively.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug take a look at, that may be grounds for termination underneath DOT regulations. At greatest, they're quickly taken off the street and required to finish an analysis with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation process, which might generally take months.

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

In recent years, extra states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it more widely out there and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions apart. In keeping with the FMCSA, “a driver may not use marijuana even when [it] is really helpful by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even because it’s turn out to be 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 rules.”

A industrial driver may use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is authorized, however nonetheless test constructive for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the highway. The American Habit Centers says for rare marijuana users—which means those who use the substance less than two occasions every week—it might present up in their urine for up to three days. Someone who uses marijuana several times per week can test constructive for as much as three weeks, and those who use marijuana even more continuously can “check positive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, factory closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are just a number of the present issues affecting the supply chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise within the U.S., according to a report from the White Home, however a rising number of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process 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 business drivers are presently in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them have not begun the RTD process. 

If violations continue on the present fee, the truck driver scarcity will additional disrupt the supply chain, which implies larger prices not only for commodities however the cost of residing at massive.

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