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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery store shelves, and inflated prices have turn out to be the norm for American shoppers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are other challenges inflicting supply chain points, including a lack of truck drivers to move items from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the motive force scarcity had risen to an all-time excessive of 80,000, partly as a result of ageing 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 legal guidelines throughout the U.S. that are contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a growing variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which may quickly worsen the already struggling supply chain.

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

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state rules as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit 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 those substances are legal, they could still be confronted with a violation due to the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal stage.

“Whereas states could enable medical use of marijuana, federal laws and policy do not acknowledge any legit medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for business automobile drivers reads. “Even when a state permits the use of marijuana, DOT rules treat its use as the identical as using some other illicit drug.”

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

Under regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to starting a new job. They can be tested at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Provider Safety Administration also upped the random drug testing fee from 25% of the typical number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are mainly screened for drug use via urinalysis, but there at the moment are new saliva exams being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails only one drug check, that can be grounds for termination under DOT rules. At best, they're quickly taken off the road and required to complete an evaluation with a substance misuse skilled who determines their rehabilitation course of, which can typically take months.

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

In recent times, extra states have legalized both leisure and medical marijuana, making it more extensively available and used. However, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for business truck drivers, state laws and medical prescriptions apart. According to the FMCSA, “a driver might not use marijuana even when [it] is really useful 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 additionally has not modified the appliance of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing rules.”

A commercial driver could use marijuana whereas off-duty, not driving, and in a state the place marijuana is legal, however still check optimistic for the substance for as much as a month later and be taken off the highway. The American Addiction Facilities says for infrequent marijuana customers—meaning those that use the substance less than two times per week—it may possibly show up of their urine for as much as three days. Someone who makes use of marijuana a number of occasions per week can take a look at positive for as much as three weeks, and people who use marijuana much more often can “take a look at constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing unit closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are just a few of the current issues affecting the supply chain throughout America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise inside the U.S., according to a report from the White Home, however a growing number of commercial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

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

If violations proceed on the present fee, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the provision chain, which means greater prices not just for commodities however the cost of residing at massive.

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