Marijuana violations have taken over 10,000 truck drivers off the highway this yr, adding more provide chain disruptions

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated prices have change into the norm for American consumers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges inflicting provide chain issues, including 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 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 more truck drivers on the street by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of economic licenses. Nevertheless, that gained’t affect another hurdle: disparate marijuana laws throughout the U.S. that are contributing to an increase in violations. In 2022, a rising number of truckers are being taken off the job, which might soon worsen the already struggling supply chain.

As extra states legalize recreational marijuana—four of which did so previously 12 months and three more are expected to by the top of 2022—extra truck drivers have examined constructive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 industrial 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% 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 purposes. However even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD while off duty in a state the place those substances are authorized, they might nonetheless be faced with a violation because of the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal level.

“While states may permit medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and coverage don't acknowledge any legit medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial vehicle drivers reads. “Even if a state permits using marijuana, DOT rules treat its use as the same as the use of any other illicit drug.”

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

Under laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to beginning a new job. They will also be tested at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Provider Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing price from 25% of the average number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use by way of urinalysis, however there are actually new saliva tests being proposed as effectively.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug test, that can be grounds for termination beneath DOT regulations. At best, they're temporarily taken off the highway and required to complete an evaluation with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation course of, which can sometimes 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 verify the Clearinghouse to see if a industrial driver had any previous violations, which might stop them from being employed.

Lately, more states have legalized each leisure and medical marijuana, making it extra widely accessible and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for industrial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions apart. In accordance with the FMCSA, “a driver might not use marijuana even if [it] is recommended by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even as it’s turn into legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions also has not modified the appliance of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing rules.”

A commercial driver could use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is legal, however still check constructive for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the road. The American Habit Centers says for rare marijuana users—that means those that use the substance lower than two times every week—it might present up in their urine for as much as three days. Someone who uses marijuana several times every week can check constructive for up to three weeks, and those who use marijuana much more regularly can “check constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing unit closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are simply a number of the present issues affecting the availability chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise inside the U.S., in response to a report from the White Home, but a growing variety of commercial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that business automobile drivers should bear once faced with a marijuana violation can maintain them from returning to work in any respect. According to the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 business drivers are currently in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD course of. 

If violations continue at the present charge, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the provision chain, which suggests increased costs not only for commodities but the cost of dwelling at massive.

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