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The U.S. is facing a massive truck driver shortage, and the entire supply chain is under threat. Cannabis legalization might play a role in this issue, and some advocates are calling for the government to change its requirements. But experts say easing restrictions on driver marijuana use to accommodate recreational weed isn’t a responsible answer.
A new federal report found that record numbers of truck drivers are refusing to submit to drug tests, which may indicate that state-level legalization of recreational marijuana is contributing to the driver shortage. According to the report, the number of drivers who refused a drug test in February increased by 39 percent compared to the year before. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requires all truck drivers to pass a standard drug test before they’re hired to drive a commercial motor vehicle.
This comes while the nation is in the throes of a driver shortage that threatens supply chains. According to Commercial Carrier Journal, the American Trucking Associations estimated that the industry was short 60,000 drivers at the beginning of the year.
One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is a workforce that is aging out. There are many more drivers above the age of 55 than younger drivers, and every year the industry loses a good portion of them to retirement. Younger people in the workforce are reportedly less interested in entering the industry because of the long hours, the physical demands of the job and the perception that it is an undesirable career path.
A June 2023 American Transportation Research Institute report said the federal ban on weed is “a potential disincentive for drivers to stay in the industry, and it has even been argued that loosening the restrictions on marijuana use would make the industry more attractive and widen the potential labor pool.” With more young people using weed at an increased pace, restrictions on the drug may make working in the industry appear unattractive.
This is bad news for anyone who likes to buy groceries or purchase goods or eat at restaurants or fill their vehicles with gas or enjoy any of the comforts of modern living. Truck deliveries are the lifeblood of the national supply chain, and without them, the entire country would grind to a screeching halt. It would affect every single industry in the nation.
Johnny R. Johnson, CEO of of the New Mexico Trucking Association tells The Paper. that New Mexico is feeling some of the effects of the driver shortage, but not at the same level as some other spots in the country.
“There are several different types of truck driving. There’s long haul, local and designated routes,” Johnson says. “I’d say long haul is suffering a little bit of driver shortage. But for local and designated routes, I don’t see that much of a driver shortage.”
Johnson says he hasn’t noticed any correlation between shortages and cannabis legalization, and hiring drivers hasn’t become more difficult since New Mexico legalized.
But he is aware of an increase in failed drug tests.
“As far as failing a drug test, because they were either smoking it or around it, there has been an uptick in drivers failing their random drug tests or their pre-employment drug tests,” he says.
When asked whether he thought easing marijuana restrictions was a good idea, he answered with his own poignant questions.
“Are you willing to get on an airplane with a pilot that has been smoking marijuana? Do you want to be on the highway beside an 80,000 pound truck with a driver who’s been smoking marijuana?”
Johnson goes on to say that he believes the reported increase in drivers who refuse to submit to a drug test may not be accurate.
“There might be an occasional guy or gal that says ‘No, I like my marijuana. I don’t want to continue my CDL.’ That may be happening,” he says. “But 40 percent, I think, is a pretty exaggerated number.”
Johnson says that keeping drug tests in place is essential to maintaining road safety.
“In my world, it’s very simple,” says Johnson. “It’s a safety issue when you’re dealing with the motoring public — who we have to deal with every day — and you’re responsible for 80,000 pounds of cargo.”
He also says that allowing drivers to use marijuana could have a cascade effect that hurts the economy much like the driver shortage.
“The economy relies on trucking,” he says. “You start upticking the accident ratio because of marijuana use, and you’re going to affect the economy. To the point that you’re going to also increase inflation. A lot of people don’t understand that. Messing with the supply chain is probably not a good answer.”
Some advocates are saying that current urine and blood-based drug tests give an inaccurate representation of whether someone uses cannabis. These tests can find cannabinoids in the body days to months after ingestion, depending on the quantity used, meaning that a potential driver could smoke a joint in May and still test positive in July. Some advocates suggest using mouth swab tests as an alternative to find out if an applicant has used recently.
But industry experts say using the current methods helps to keep regular pot users out of truck cabs and that it’s worth the sacrifice of losing potential drivers if it means keeping drugged truckers off the road.
“The bottom line is it’s a safety issue,” says Johnson. “It has always been a safety issue with drugs and truck driving. And it’s not going to change anytime soon, because I don’t see the federal government dropping those restrictions for pilots or truck drivers.”