Truckers are allowed to drink as much booze as they please, but a single hit on a legal joint can end their career. (AdobeStock)
Federal regulations allow long-haul truck drivers to spend up to 11 hours a day behind the wheel, as part of a 14-hour shift. The maximum weight for a semi-truck with a loaded trailer on US roads is 80,000 pounds.
Obviously, nobody wants the person driving one these behemoths down the highway to be impaired in any way.
But should smoking a joint while off duty lead to being fired and effectively prevented from re-entering the industry? Because that’s what’s happening right now. In fact, it’s already sidelined tens of thousands of truckers at a profoundly challenging time for America’s supply chain.
Outdated rules got a lot worse in 2020
Outdated drug testing regulations were already an issue before the pandemic. Truckers were allowed to drink as much alcohol as they wanted, off duty, but cannabis use remained prohibited even in fully legal states.
The problem actually got worse in January 2020, just before the first pandemic lock-downs, when a new set of nationwide regulations went into effect. Those regs included a new registry that prevents drivers who’ve failed a drug test from getting another driving job without first completing an onerous reinstatement process.
According to a report from Stacker published earlier this year, drivers testing positive for THC in 2022 is on pace for a 32% increase over 2021. The headline: “Marijuana violations have taken more than 10,000 truckers off the road this year.”
Fortunately, one of the cannabis industry’s biggest supporters in Congress is sounding the alarm.
