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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated prices have turn out to be the norm for American consumers over the past two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges causing supply chain points, including an absence of truck drivers to transport goods 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 because of the 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 economic licenses. Nevertheless, that won’t have an effect on another hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines 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 could soon worsen the already struggling supply chain.

As extra states legalize leisure marijuana—4 of which did so in the past yr and three more are anticipated to by the top of 2022—extra truck drivers have tested positive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 industrial car drivers have examined optimistic for marijuana use. By the identical time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% enhance 12 months over 12 months.

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state regulations as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states allow it for medicinal functions. However even when a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD while off responsibility in a state where those substances are authorized, they might still be faced with a violation because of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy at the federal degree.

“Whereas states may permit medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and policy don't acknowledge any respectable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for business car drivers reads. “Even when a state allows using marijuana, DOT rules treat its use as the same as the usage of some other illicit drug.”

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

Below laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—including marijuana—prior to starting a new job. They may 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 rate from 25% of the common variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use via urinalysis, however there are actually new saliva exams being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails just one drug test, that may be grounds for termination under DOT laws. At finest, they are quickly 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 additionally required to list commercial drivers who fail a drug test in 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 employed.

Lately, more states have legalized both leisure and medical marijuana, making it extra broadly available and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions apart. Based on 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 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 authorized, however still take a look at optimistic for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the highway. The American Addiction Centers says for rare marijuana users—which means those that use the substance less than two occasions every week—it may possibly show up of their urine for up to three days. Somebody who makes use of marijuana a number of times per week can take a look at positive for up to three weeks, and those that use marijuana even more frequently can “test constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, factory closures, and items ready to be unloaded at ports are simply some of the present points affecting the availability chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise throughout the U.S., in response to a report from the White House, but a rising number of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that industrial vehicle drivers must endure as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can keep them from returning to work at all. In keeping with the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 commercial drivers are presently in prohibited standing as of April 1, 2022, however 67,368 of them have not begun the RTD process. 

If violations continue on the current fee, the truck driver shortage will further disrupt the provision chain, which means increased prices not just for commodities however the cost of residing at large.

Copyright 2022 Stacker by way of Grey Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.