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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated prices have develop into the norm for American consumers over the past two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges causing supply chain points, 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 excessive of 80,000, partly due to the aging inhabitants 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 business licenses. However, that won’t have an effect on another hurdle: disparate marijuana legal guidelines across the U.S. which might be contributing to an increase in violations. In 2022, a rising variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which could soon worsen the already struggling supply chain.

As more states legalize leisure marijuana—four of which did so in the past 12 months 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 car drivers have examined positive for marijuana use. By the same time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% increase year 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 when a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD whereas off responsibility in a state where those substances are legal, they might nonetheless be confronted with a violation as a result of Department of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal level.

“Whereas states could allow medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and coverage do not acknowledge any respectable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial car drivers reads. “Even when a state allows the usage of marijuana, DOT regulations deal with its use as the same as using some other illicit drug.”

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

Underneath laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to starting a new job. They may also be examined at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Provider Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing charge from 25% of the average variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use via urinalysis, but there are actually new saliva tests being proposed as nicely.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug test, that may be grounds for termination under DOT laws. At finest, they're briefly taken off the highway and required to complete an analysis with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation course of, which might typically take months.

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

In recent years, extra states have legalized both leisure and medical marijuana, making it more broadly obtainable and used. However, marijuana use is still prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. Based on the FMCSA, “a driver might not use marijuana even if [it] is advisable by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even because it’s change into legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and other jurisdictions additionally has not modified the application of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing rules.”

A commercial driver could use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is authorized, but still test constructive for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the street. The American Addiction Facilities says for infrequent marijuana customers—which means those who use the substance less than two times every week—it could show up of their urine for as much as three days. Somebody who makes use of marijuana a number of times per week can take a look at constructive for as much as three weeks, and people who use marijuana even more continuously can “check constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, factory closures, and items ready to be unloaded at ports are simply a few of the current points affecting the provision chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of products inside the U.S., in response to a report from the White Home, however a rising variety of industrial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that commercial automobile drivers must undergo once confronted with a marijuana violation can preserve them from returning to work at all. In line with the FMCSA’s monthly report, 89,650 commercial drivers are at present in prohibited standing as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them have not begun the RTD process. 

If violations continue at the present price, the truck driver scarcity will additional disrupt the provision chain, which suggests greater prices not just for commodities however the price of dwelling at giant.

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