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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery store shelves, and inflated prices have turn out to be the norm for American consumers over the previous two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges causing supply chain points, including a lack of truck drivers to transport items from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driving force scarcity had risen to an all-time high of 80,000, partly because of the getting old 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 economic licenses. Nonetheless, that won’t have an effect on another hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines across the U.S. which are contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a rising variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which may soon worsen the already struggling provide chain.

As extra states legalize leisure marijuana—four of which did so previously yr and three extra are expected to by the top of 2022—more truck drivers have tested positive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 industrial automobile drivers have examined positive for marijuana use. By the same 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 regulations 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 responsibility in a state where these substances are legal, they might nonetheless be confronted with a violation as a result of Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy on the federal stage.

“Whereas states might allow medical use of marijuana, federal laws and coverage do not acknowledge any legitimate medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial vehicle drivers reads. “Even when a state allows using marijuana, DOT regulations treat its use as the same as using every other illicit drug.”

Stacker looked at what’s inflicting thousands of truckers to be faraway from their jobs, and the looming domino impact of the continued supply chain disruptions.

Below regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—including marijuana—prior to beginning a brand new job. They can be tested at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing price 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 exams being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug check, that may be grounds for termination under DOT laws. At best, they're quickly taken off the street and required to complete an evaluation with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation process, which might generally take months.

As of January 2020, employers are also required to checklist business drivers who fail a drug take a look at in the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations remain 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 stop them from being employed.

Lately, more states have legalized both recreational and medical marijuana, making it extra broadly obtainable and used. Nevertheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for industrial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. According to the FMCSA, “a driver might not use marijuana even when [it] is advisable by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even because it’s become legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions additionally has not modified the applying of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A business driver could use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is authorized, but nonetheless check optimistic for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the road. The American Dependancy Centers says for rare marijuana customers—that means those that use the substance less than two instances a week—it might probably show up in their urine for as much as three days. Someone who uses marijuana several instances per week can test positive for as much as three weeks, and people who use marijuana much more regularly can “test positive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing unit closures, and items ready to be unloaded at ports are just a few of the present points affecting the supply chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of products within the U.S., according to a report from the White Home, however a growing variety of industrial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that industrial car drivers must undergo as soon as confronted with a marijuana violation can hold them from returning to work in any respect. In line with the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 business drivers are presently in prohibited standing as of April 1, 2022, however 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD process. 

If violations proceed on the present fee, the truck driver shortage will further disrupt the supply chain, which implies higher costs not just for commodities however the price of dwelling at massive.

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