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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated prices have develop into the norm for American customers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges inflicting provide chain points, together with a scarcity of truck drivers to move goods from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driver scarcity had risen to an all-time high of 80,000, partly due to the getting old population and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get more truck drivers on the road by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of economic licenses. However, that received’t affect one other hurdle: disparate marijuana laws throughout the U.S. that are contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a growing variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which may quickly worsen the already suffering supply chain.

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

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state regulations as 19 states have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal purposes. But even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD while off duty in a state where those substances are authorized, they could nonetheless be faced with a violation due to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy on the federal degree.

“Whereas states may enable medical use of marijuana, federal laws and policy don't recognize any legit medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for business car drivers reads. “Even if a state allows the usage of marijuana, DOT laws treat its use as the same as the usage of any other illicit drug.”

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

Below rules set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to beginning a new job. They can be examined at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Service Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing fee 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 assessments being proposed as effectively.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug check, that can be grounds for termination beneath DOT regulations. 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 may generally take months.

As of January 2020, employers are also required to checklist industrial drivers who fail a drug test within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations stay searchable for 5 years. Potential employers are additionally required to check the Clearinghouse to see if a industrial driver had any previous violations, which might prevent them from being employed.

In recent times, extra states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it extra extensively accessible and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use remains to be prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. Based on the FMCSA, “a driver might 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 change into legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions also has not modified the application of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing regulations.”

A commercial driver might use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is authorized, however nonetheless take a look at positive for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the road. The American Habit Centers says for infrequent marijuana customers—that means those who use the substance lower than two times every week—it can show up in their urine for as much as three days. Someone who makes use of marijuana a number of occasions a week can take a look at constructive for as much as three weeks, and people who use marijuana even more regularly can “check optimistic for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and goods waiting to be unloaded at ports are simply some of the current issues affecting the provision chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise throughout the U.S., in line with a report from the White House, but a rising variety of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that industrial vehicle drivers should undergo as soon as confronted with a marijuana violation can maintain them from returning to work in any respect. Based on the FMCSA’s monthly report, 89,650 business drivers are currently in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, however 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD course of. 

If violations proceed on the present charge, the truck driver scarcity will additional disrupt the provision chain, which suggests larger prices not just for commodities however the price of dwelling at large.

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