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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery store cabinets, and inflated costs have grow to be the norm for American consumers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges inflicting provide chain issues, together with a scarcity 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 because of the aging inhabitants and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get extra truck drivers on the road by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of commercial licenses. Nevertheless, that won’t have an effect on another hurdle: disparate marijuana laws across the U.S. which are contributing to an increase in violations. In 2022, a growing number of truckers are being taken off the job, which may quickly worsen the already suffering provide chain.

As more states legalize leisure marijuana—4 of which did so previously year and three more are anticipated to by the top of 2022—more truck drivers have examined positive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 business automobile drivers have tested optimistic for marijuana use. By the same time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% increase yr over yr.

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state regulations as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states allow it for medicinal purposes. However even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD while off responsibility in a state the place these substances are authorized, they could still be confronted with a violation because of the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy at the federal level.

“While states might permit medical use of marijuana, federal laws and coverage do not acknowledge any respectable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial vehicle drivers reads. “Even when a state permits the use of marijuana, DOT rules deal with its use as the same as the use of some other illicit drug.”

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

Under regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—including marijuana—previous to beginning a brand new job. They can be tested at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Service Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing price from 25% of the common number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use by way of urinalysis, however there are now new saliva tests being proposed as effectively.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug take a look at, that can be grounds for termination underneath DOT regulations. At finest, they're temporarily taken off the highway and required to finish an evaluation with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation process, which can typically take months.

As of January 2020, employers are also required to list commercial drivers who fail a drug check within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations stay searchable for 5 years. Potential employers are additionally required to examine the Clearinghouse to see if a business driver had any earlier violations, which would stop them from being hired.

Lately, more states have legalized both recreational and medical marijuana, making it extra broadly available and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. In keeping with the FMCSA, “a driver may not use marijuana even if [it] is really helpful 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 additionally has not modified the appliance of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A business driver may use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is legal, however still check constructive for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the road. The American Addiction Centers says for rare marijuana users—meaning those that use the substance less than two occasions per week—it could actually show up in their urine for as much as three days. Somebody who makes use of marijuana several instances a week can check positive for as much as three weeks, and people who use marijuana much more steadily can “take a look at constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and goods ready to be unloaded at ports are just a number of the present points affecting the provision chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise inside the U.S., in accordance with a report from the White House, however a rising number of business drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that business car drivers must bear as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can keep them from returning to work in any respect. According to the FMCSA’s monthly 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 proceed at the current charge, the truck driver shortage will further disrupt the provision chain, which implies higher costs not only for commodities but the cost of dwelling at giant.

Copyright 2022 Stacker through Grey Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.