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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated prices have change into the norm for American shoppers over the previous two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges inflicting supply chain issues, including a lack of truck drivers to transport items from one place to another. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driver shortage had risen to an all-time high of 80,000, partly as a result of ageing 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 business licenses. Nonetheless, that received’t impact one other hurdle: disparate marijuana laws across the U.S. which can be contributing to an increase in violations. In 2022, a rising number of truckers are being taken off the job, which may soon worsen the already struggling supply chain.

As more states legalize recreational marijuana—4 of which did so up to now 12 months and three extra are anticipated to by the end of 2022—extra truck drivers have examined positive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 commercial automobile 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 year over 12 months.

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state laws as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal functions. But even when a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD whereas off obligation in a state the place these substances are legal, they could still be faced with a violation because of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage on the federal stage.

“While states might enable medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and policy don't recognize any reliable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial vehicle drivers reads. “Even if a state permits the usage of marijuana, DOT rules treat its use as the identical as the usage of any other illicit drug.”

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

Beneath rules set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—including marijuana—prior to starting a new job. They can be tested at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Security Administration additionally upped the random drug testing rate from 25% of the typical variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use via urinalysis, however there are actually new saliva tests being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails just one drug check, that can be grounds for termination beneath DOT regulations. At greatest, they're temporarily taken off the highway and required to finish an evaluation with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation process, which may generally take months.

As of January 2020, employers are also required to checklist industrial drivers who fail a drug check within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations remain searchable for five years. Potential employers are also required to check the Clearinghouse to see if a business driver had any previous violations, which would prevent them from being hired.

In recent years, extra states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it more widely accessible and used. Nevertheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for business truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions apart. In accordance with the FMCSA, “a driver might 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 as it’s turn out to be legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions also has not modified the appliance of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing regulations.”

A industrial driver might use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is authorized, however nonetheless check constructive for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the highway. The American Dependancy Centers says for rare marijuana customers—meaning those that use the substance less than two occasions a week—it could show up in their urine for up to three days. Someone who makes use of marijuana several occasions every week can check optimistic for up to three weeks, and people who use marijuana even more incessantly can “check optimistic for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing unit closures, and items ready to be unloaded at ports are just among the current points affecting the availability chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise throughout the U.S., based on 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 commercial car drivers should endure once confronted with a marijuana violation can maintain them from returning to work in any respect. In line with the FMCSA’s monthly report, 89,650 business drivers are presently in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, however 67,368 of them have not begun the RTD process. 

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

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