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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated prices have become the norm for American consumers over the past two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges causing supply chain issues, including a lack of truck drivers to move 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 as a result of getting older population 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 business licenses. Nevertheless, that gained’t affect one other hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines across 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 may quickly worsen the already struggling supply chain.

As extra states legalize leisure marijuana—4 of which did so up to now yr and three extra are expected to by the tip of 2022—extra truck drivers have tested constructive 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 yr over year.

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 obligation in a state where these substances are legal, they may still be faced with a violation as a result of Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal level.

“While states could permit medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and policy don't acknowledge any respectable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial car drivers reads. “Even if a state allows the usage of marijuana, DOT rules treat its use as the identical as using any other illicit drug.”

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

Below laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to beginning a new job. They may also be examined at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Service Security Administration additionally upped the random drug testing charge from 25% of the average variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use via urinalysis, however there are now new saliva checks being proposed as nicely.

At worst, if a driver fails just one drug check, that may be grounds for termination underneath DOT rules. At greatest, they're briefly taken off the road and required to finish an evaluation with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation course of, which may generally take months.

As of January 2020, employers are also required to record commercial 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 also required to examine the Clearinghouse to see if a commercial driver had any previous violations, which might forestall them from being hired.

Lately, more states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it more extensively out there and used. Nevertheless, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for industrial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. In response to the FMCSA, “a driver could not use marijuana even when [it] is recommended by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even as it’s become legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions additionally has not modified the application of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A commercial driver may use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is authorized, but still test positive for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the road. The American Dependancy Centers says for rare marijuana users—meaning those who use the substance less than two instances per week—it might probably present up in their urine for up to three days. Somebody who uses marijuana a number of instances every week can check constructive for as much as three weeks, and those who use marijuana even more often can “check positive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are just among the current issues affecting the provision chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of products within the U.S., in keeping with a report from the White House, however a growing number of commercial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that industrial automobile drivers must endure as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can preserve them from returning to work in any respect. In accordance with the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 commercial drivers are presently in prohibited standing as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD process. 

If violations continue at the current rate, the truck driver shortage will additional disrupt the availability chain, which suggests greater prices not just for commodities but the price of living at massive.

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