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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery retailer shelves, and inflated costs have become the norm for American customers over the previous two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges causing supply chain issues, together with a scarcity 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 high of 80,000, partly due to the getting older 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 laws across 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 may quickly worsen the already suffering supply 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 top of 2022—extra 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 same time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% improve yr over 12 months.

Truck drivers who travel cross-country face inconsistent state regulations as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal purposes. But even if a driver used marijuana or hemp-based products like CBD whereas off duty in a state the place these substances are legal, they may nonetheless be confronted with a violation because of the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance coverage at the federal stage.

“While states might enable medical use of marijuana, federal legal guidelines and coverage don't recognize any official medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial car drivers reads. “Even if a state permits the usage of marijuana, DOT laws treat its use as the same as using every other illicit drug.”

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

Underneath regulations set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to beginning a brand new job. They may also be examined at random, in addition to after accidents. In January 2020, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Security Administration also upped the random drug testing rate from 25% of the common number of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily 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 underneath DOT regulations. At finest, they're quickly taken off the street and required to complete an analysis with a substance misuse professional who determines their rehabilitation process, which might typically take months.

As of January 2020, employers are additionally required to listing business drivers who fail a drug check within the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations remain searchable for five years. Potential employers are also required to check the Clearinghouse to see if a industrial driver had any earlier violations, which would prevent them from being employed.

In recent years, more states have legalized both leisure and medical marijuana, making it extra broadly accessible and used. Nevertheless, marijuana use remains to be prohibited for commercial truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions apart. In line with the FMCSA, “a driver may 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 as it’s change into legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and other jurisdictions also has not modified the application of U.S. Division of Transportation drug testing regulations.”

A commercial driver may use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is legal, however still take a look at positive for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the highway. The American Dependancy Centers says for rare marijuana customers—that means those that use the substance less than two times a week—it could possibly show up in their urine for as much as three days. Someone who uses marijuana several times every week can test constructive for as much as three weeks, and those who use marijuana even more steadily can “check optimistic for a month or longer.”

Shortages, factory closures, and items ready to be unloaded at ports are simply among the present issues affecting the supply chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of merchandise inside the U.S., based on a report from the White Home, but a rising number of industrial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that commercial vehicle drivers should undergo once confronted with a marijuana violation can hold them from returning to work in any respect. Based on the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 industrial drivers are presently in prohibited standing as of April 1, 2022, but 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD process. 

If violations proceed at the current fee, the truck driver shortage will additional disrupt the supply chain, which suggests increased prices not just for commodities but the cost of living at giant.

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