{"id":12202,"date":"2021-08-25T16:23:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T14:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=12202"},"modified":"2021-08-25T16:24:13","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T14:24:13","slug":"drug-testing-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/08\/25\/drug-testing-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Drug Testing and the Driver Shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><i>Photo:Gettyimages\/\u0415\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0430 \u0420\u0443\u0431\u0430\u043d\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Positive drug tests for marijuana outpace all other drugs in the Drug &amp; Alcohol Clearinghouse \u2014 53%.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">When you change too many variables in an experiment, you can\u2019t tell which one was responsible for the results. And with the current truck driver shortage, too many variables have changed in a short time to reliably single out a cause.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Many blame higher unemployment and stimulus benefits from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. While that may be part of the problem, <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.truckinginfo.com\/10146097\/will-smaller-jobless-benefits-bring-back-drivers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it\u2019s not that simple<\/a>.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">What are some of the other variables at play?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Some drivers decided to retire or change jobs because they feared catching COVID-19.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The pandemic affected the pipeline of new drivers coming into the industry, as truck-driver training schools and state licensing offices shut down or limited capacity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Like many restaurant workers, some drivers may have been prompted by the pandemic to look for other opportunities with better working conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">But let\u2019s look at yet another variable: the federal <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.truckinginfo.com\/10139506\/the-drug-alcohol-clearinghouse-what-fleets-should-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drug &amp; Alcohol Clearinghouse<\/a>, which went into effect shortly before the pandemic hit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">As of May 1, nearly 70,000 drivers had been reported to the clearinghouse with at least one violation. About 12,000 of those (17%) had completed the steps needed to no longer be in prohibited status. But 63% had not even started the return-to-duty process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Positive drug tests for marijuana outpace all other drugs in the clearinghouse \u2014 53%. It\u2019s nearly four times as many as the next-highest drug, cocaine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article-img float-margin\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><img class=\"wrapImageCMS alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/fleetimages.bobitstudios.com\/upload\/trucking-info\/content\/article\/2021-07\/deborah-lockridge2-__-720x516-s.jpg\" alt=\"Deborah Lockridge - \" \/><\/span><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Deborah Lockridge<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">No one wants an impaired driver behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound truck. But say you\u2019re an otherwise safety-conscious driver living in a state where marijuana is legal. Instead of a few beers on a Friday night at home, you have a few tokes. A week later, you fail a drug test. Rather than go through the lengthy return-to-duty process, you might look for a job where you wouldn\u2019t be penalized.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Although marijuana is legal to some extent in the majority of states, at the federal level, it\u2019s a Schedule I drug under the\u00a0Controlled Substances Act. Legalized-marijuana proponents say cannabis doesn\u2019t belong in the same category as heroin and LSD. Instead, they argue, it should be treated more like alcohol \u2013 legal to consume, with restrictions such as minimum age, and illegal to drive while impaired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Unlike drunk driving, however, so far there\u2019s no easy and reliable test to determine cannabis impairment. And there\u2019s no consensus on how long impairment lasts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes, \u201cMarijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time, and studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC concentration and impaired driving ability.\u201d (THC is tetrahydrocannabinol, the intoxicating component of cannabis.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Yet the same report advises that \u201cthe role played by marijuana in crashes is often unclear because it can be detected in body fluids for days or even weeks after intoxication and because people frequently combine it with alcohol.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Last year, an analysis of 80 scientific studies by the University of Sydney in Australia identified a \u201cwindow of impairment\u201d of three to 10 hours caused by moderate to high doses of THC. But the duration of impairment depends on the dose, whether it\u2019s inhaled or taken orally, whether the cannabis user is regular or occasional, and the demands of the task being undertaken.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">In our current litigious environment, it would be difficult to argue that a fleet should step back from drug-testing policies stricter than federal requirements, such as the hair testing used by a number of large carriers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">But not only are the number of states legalizing marijuana increasing \u2013 with the Democratic party in power in Washington, there also are efforts at the federal level to legalize or decriminalize the drug.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget-full-width-box\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<h2><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Positive drug tests for marijuana outpace all other drugs in the clearinghouse \u2014 53%. It\u2019s nearly four times as many as the next-highest drug, cocaine.<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">It\u2019s no wonder the American Transportation Research Institute (the research arm of the American Trucking Associations) has made it a top research priority for 2021 to look at the impact of decriminalization of marijuana and other drugs on the trucking industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">In the future, will we decide that someone can use cannabis and still be a safe, desirable driver for the trucking industry? The answer, I\u2019m afraid, is, \u201cIt\u2019s complicated.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"incontent01Form\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">We asked our readers on Twitter: Do you think someone can use cannabis and still be a safe, desirable driver? Here are the results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>This editorial commentary was originally published in the July 2021 issue of Heavy Duty Trucking.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truckinginfo.com\/authors\/3278\/deborah-lockridge\">Deborah Lockridge<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"posted-by\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truckinginfo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.truckinginfo.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<div class=\"g-cols wpb_row type_default valign_top vc_inner vc_custom_1585038969469\">\n<div class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column vc_column_container\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"w-post-elm post_content\">\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/who-we-are\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>KNOW WHO WE ARE<\/strong><\/a><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/who-we-are\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11695\" src=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-300x150.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/AFMC4000-2048x1024.jpg 2048w\" alt=\"\" width=\"430\" height=\"215\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo:Gettyimages\/\u0415\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0430 \u0420\u0443\u0431\u0430\u043d\u00a0 Positive drug tests for marijuana outpace all other drugs in the Drug &amp; Alcohol Clearinghouse \u2014 53%. When you change too many variables in an experiment, you can\u2019t tell which one was responsible for the results. And with the current truck driver shortage, too many variables have changed in a short time to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[133,182],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12202"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12205,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12202\/revisions\/12205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}