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

(Stacker) - Delayed packages, naked grocery store shelves, and inflated prices have become the norm for American customers over the past two years. Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst, there are different challenges inflicting supply chain points, together with an absence of truck drivers to move items from one place to a different. In late 2021, the American Trucking Associations reported that the driver scarcity had risen to an all-time high of 80,000, partly as a result of growing old inhabitants and shrinking wages.

In response, the Biden administration vowed in December to get extra truck drivers on the highway by boosting recruitment efforts and expediting the issuing of business licenses. Nevertheless, that gained’t affect another hurdle: disparate marijuana laws throughout the U.S. which can be contributing to a rise in violations. In 2022, a growing variety of truckers are being taken off the job, which might quickly worsen the already suffering supply chain.

As more states legalize leisure marijuana—4 of which did so up to now 12 months and three extra are anticipated to by the top of 2022—more truck drivers have tested constructive for the substance. As of April 1, 2022, 10,276 commercial automobile drivers have tested positive for marijuana use. By the same 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 laws as 19 states have legalized leisure marijuana and 37 states permit it for medicinal purposes. However even when a driver used marijuana or hemp-based merchandise like CBD while off responsibility in a state the place these substances are legal, they could still be faced with a violation because of the Division of Transportation’s (DOT) zero-tolerance policy at the federal degree.

“Whereas states could enable medical use of marijuana, federal laws and coverage don't recognize any reputable medical use of marijuana,” a DOT handbook for industrial car drivers reads. “Even when a state permits the usage of marijuana, DOT laws deal with its use as the same as using any other illicit drug.”

Stacker checked out what’s causing hundreds of truckers to be faraway from their jobs, and the looming domino impact of the continued provide chain disruptions.

Under laws set forth by the DOT, truck drivers are examined for drug use—together with marijuana—prior to beginning a new job. They can 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 price from 25% of the typical variety of driver positions to 50%. Truck drivers are primarily screened for drug use through urinalysis, however there at the moment are new saliva assessments being proposed as properly.

At worst, if a driver fails just one drug take a look at, that can be grounds for termination beneath DOT laws. At best, they are quickly taken off the road and required to finish an analysis with a substance misuse skilled 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 test in the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. These violations remain searchable for 5 years. Potential employers are additionally required to verify the Clearinghouse to see if a commercial driver had any previous violations, which might prevent them from being hired.

In recent years, more states have legalized each leisure and medical marijuana, making it extra widely out there and used. Nonetheless, marijuana use continues to be prohibited for business truck drivers, state legal guidelines and medical prescriptions apart. In response 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 as it’s become legalized, saying, “Legalization of marijuana use by States and different jurisdictions additionally has not modified the application of U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing laws.”

A business driver could use marijuana while off-duty, not driving, and in a state where marijuana is authorized, but nonetheless test optimistic for the substance for up to a month later and be taken off the street. The American Dependancy Facilities says for infrequent marijuana users—which means those that use the substance less than two instances a week—it can show up in their urine for as much as three days. Somebody who makes use of marijuana a number of times per week can check constructive for as much as three weeks, and those who use marijuana much more steadily can “test constructive for a month or longer.”

Shortages, manufacturing unit closures, and items waiting to be unloaded at ports are just a number of the present issues affecting the provision chain across America. Trucking transports 72% of products within the U.S., according to a report from the White Home, but a growing variety of industrial drivers are sidelined for marijuana use.

The return-to-duty process that business vehicle drivers must endure as soon as faced with a marijuana violation can hold them from returning to work at all. In line with the FMCSA’s month-to-month report, 89,650 industrial drivers are presently in prohibited status as of April 1, 2022, however 67,368 of them haven't begun the RTD process. 

If violations proceed at the current fee, the truck driver scarcity will further disrupt the provision chain, which means larger prices not just for commodities however the cost of living at large.

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