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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer shelves, and inflated prices have grow to be the norm for American customers over the past two years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges causing supply chain issues, including a scarcity of truck drivers to move goods from one place to another. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driver scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly because of the getting 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 business licenses. Nonetheless, that received’t have an effect on another hurdle: disparate marijuana laws throughout 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 may quickly worsen the already struggling provide chain.

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

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state laws as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal purposes. But even when a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD whereas off obligation in a state where those substances are authorized, they might still be confronted with a violation due to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal stage.

“While states might allow medical use of marijuana, federal laws and policy do not recognize any reputable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial vehicle drivers reads. “Even when a state allows the use of marijuana, DOT laws treat its use as the same as the usage 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.

Beneath laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are tested for drug use—including marijuana—previous to starting a new job. They can be examined at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing price from 25% of the common number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use through urinalysis, but there at the moment are new saliva exams being proposed as effectively.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug test, that can be grounds for termination below DOT rules. At greatest, they're quickly taken off the street and required to complete an analysis with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation process, which may typically take months.

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

In recent times, extra states have legalized both leisure and medical marijuana, making it extra broadly obtainable and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for business truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions aside. According to the FMCSA, “a driver may not use marijuana even if [it] is recommended 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 other jurisdictions also has not modified the applying of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A commercial driver may use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is legal, but nonetheless test positive for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the highway. The American Dependancy Facilities says for rare marijuana customers—meaning those who use the substance lower than two times per week—it might probably show up of their urine for as much as three days. Somebody who makes use of marijuana several occasions per week can take a look at optimistic for up to three weeks, and those that use marijuana even more regularly can “take a look at positive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are simply some of the present points affecting the supply chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise inside the U.S., in line with a report from the White House, but a growing variety of commercial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty course of that industrial car drivers should undergo once faced with a marijuana violation can hold them from returning to work in any respect. According to the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 business drivers are at the moment in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD course of. 

If violations continue at the current fee, the truck driver scarcity will additional disrupt the supply chain, which means larger costs not just for commodities but the price of residing at large.

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