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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery retailer shelves, and inflated prices have change into the norm for American consumers over the previous two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges inflicting provide chain issues, together with an absence of truck drivers to move items from one place to another. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driver shortage had risen to an all-time high of 80,000, partly due to the growing older inhabitants and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get extra truck drivers on the street by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of commercial licenses. Nonetheless, that gained’t impact one other hurdle: disparate marijuana laws across the U.S. which are contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a rising variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which could soon worsen the already suffering supply chain.

As more states legalize recreational marijuana—4 of which did so in the past yr and three extra are expected to by the top of 2022—extra truck drivers have tested optimistic for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 industrial 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% enhance 12 months over 12 months.

Truck drivers who journey cross-country face inconsistent state laws as 19 states have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal purposes. However even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD whereas off obligation in a state the place these substances are authorized, they may still be faced with a violation because of the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy on the federal stage.

“Whereas states may allow medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and coverage do not recognize any official medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for commercial vehicle drivers reads. “Even if a state permits using marijuana, DOT regulations treat its use as the same as using some other illicit drug.”

Stacker looked at what’s inflicting 1000's of truckers to be removed from their jobs, and the looming domino impact of the continued supply chain disruptions.

Under regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—including marijuana—prior to beginning a brand new job. They will also 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 rate from 25% of the average variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use through urinalysis, however there are now new saliva assessments being proposed as effectively.

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

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

Lately, more states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it extra extensively obtainable and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for industrial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions apart. In keeping with the FMCSA, “a driver might 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 other jurisdictions also has not modified the appliance of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing rules.”

A business driver might use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is legal, however nonetheless test optimistic for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the street. The American Habit Centers says for infrequent marijuana users—that means those that use the substance lower than two times a week—it might probably show up in their urine for as much as three days. Someone who makes use of marijuana several occasions per week can check constructive for as much as three weeks, and those that use marijuana even more continuously can “test positive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, factory closures, and items ready to be unloaded at ports are just a number of the current issues affecting the provision chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of products within the U.S., in keeping with a report from the White House, however a rising number of industrial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that industrial car drivers must bear as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can keep them from returning to work in any respect. In accordance with the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 commercial drivers are at the moment in prohibited standing as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD process. 

If violations proceed at the present rate, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the availability chain, which suggests larger prices not only for commodities however the price of living at massive.

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