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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, bare grocery retailer cabinets, and inflated costs have develop into the norm for American customers over the past two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges causing supply chain issues, including a scarcity of truck drivers to transport goods from one place to another. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driving force scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly because of the ageing inhabitants and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get more truck drivers on the highway by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of commercial licenses. However, that won’t affect another hurdle: disparate marijuana laws throughout the U.S. which might be contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a growing number of truckers are being taken off the job, which might quickly worsen the already struggling provide chain.

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

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state rules 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 duty in a state the place these substances are legal, they could nonetheless be confronted with a violation due to the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage on the federal stage.

“While states may enable medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and policy do not recognize any official medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial automobile drivers reads. “Even when a state permits the usage of marijuana, DOT rules deal with its use as the same as the usage of some other illicit drug.”

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

Below laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—together with marijuana—previous to starting a new job. They can be tested at random, as well as after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing price from 25% of the average number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use via urinalysis, however there are now new saliva checks being proposed as properly.

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

As of January 2020, employers are additionally required to list industrial drivers who fail a drug take a look at in the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations remain searchable for five years. Potential employers are also required to examine the Clearinghouse to see if a commercial driver had any previous violations, which would forestall them from being employed.

Lately, more states have legalized each recreational and medical marijuana, making it more extensively obtainable and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use is still prohibited for business truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions aside. According to the FMCSA, “a driver could not use marijuana even when [it] is really helpful by a licensed medical practitioner.” The DOT has maintained its zero-tolerance stance for marijuana use even because it’s become 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 regulations.”

A industrial driver could use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is legal, however nonetheless check 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 users—meaning those that use the substance less than two times a week—it may show up of their urine for as much as three days. Someone who makes use of marijuana a number of instances a week can check optimistic for up to three weeks, and those that use marijuana even more incessantly can “take a look at optimistic for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing facility closures, and goods ready to be unloaded at ports are simply a number of the present issues affecting the availability chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of products throughout the U.S., according to a report from the White House, however a rising variety of commercial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that commercial automobile drivers must endure as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can maintain them from returning to work at all. In line with the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 industrial drivers are currently in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them have not begun the RTD course of. 

If violations continue on the present price, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the provision chain, which suggests higher prices not just for commodities but the cost of residing at giant.

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