Supply Chain Stalled Because 72,000 Truckers Failed Strict Drug Tests

[Jarlaxle]

I've been in the business over 30 years. In all that time we've never had enough drivers. With new government regulations they forced me off the road, and they make more new regulations nearly every single year.

So what's up for next year? Instead of learning to drive a truck through a company or driving school, starting February you will have to go to a government school. They will give you a choice of which ones you can attend. Even if you work for a company like I did that moved up class B drivers to class A (straight truck to tractor-trailer) you still have to attend government school. Same holds true if you want to add a Haz-Mat endorsement. Before you just took a test. Now to get your Haz-Mat you will need to go to government school and then take a test.

Bureaucrats make it more and more difficult for people to get or stay in this line of work. After a while you say F-it already. I'm sick of this government bullshit and get out of it.

I'm getting my haz-mat before the bullshit goes into effect.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Local place that hauls mail is advertising $27-30/hour.

Correct. It's not all that unusual, especially now. What we really need to save the transportation industry is to get rid of the bureaucracies that make it so difficult or impossible to do the job.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I'm getting my haz-mat before the bullshit goes into effect.

I would strongly advise that. Lord knows what kind of bullshit they'll come up with for 2023.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

We very rarely will go into California, a big hassle and not worth the time or money they want to pay for loads.

And if you do go, better make sure both tanks are full because the price of fuel there is ridiculous from what I understand.

All businesses need to make profit. My former employer stopped taking auto plant runs. Those worthless UAW workers would keep us there all day to perform a duty any non-union worker can do in a half-hour or forty five minutes. We had other work to do. He couldn't afford to tie up a driver all day and lose money at the same time.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Can't be any worse than the non-drug user drivers that suck driving on the road.

Bad drivers don't last long in this industry. Insurance companies will raise your employers rates over one moving traffic violation. If you are hitting things and driving like an idiot, even if your employer is willing to keep you, his insurance company won't. You're out of a job.

 

[Grumblenuts]

None of what you said to me is relevant to me.

Right, yet you accused and asked.. I clarified and answered. You're welcome.

a number of those 72,000 are back on the road afterwards that is my point. 0.02% of the workforce does not cause a shortage, sorry that is just a stupid claim.

(Besides you) Who claimed it did? You've been arguing only with yourself.

Meanwhile, back to some of the actual claims:

The biggest number of clearinghouse violations by far — 56 percent — are for marijuana use, according to federal data. (Amphetamine and methamphetamine violations account for 18 percent, while cocaine and various opioids account for 15 percent and 4 percent, respectively.) Some argue that because marijuana can stay in the body for up to 30 days, testing does not accurately reflect whether a person is driving while under the influence.

“There needs to be the ability to test for real-time impairment and not just recent or long-term past use of marijuana,” Scott Duvall, director of safety and compliance for TransForce Group, which runs truck driving schools and rents out drivers, said in an email.

Another employer who asked not to be identified estimates that he rejects up to 15 percent of his truck driver job applicants because of drug violations. What’s more, the number of positive drug tests rose 13 percent in August compared with a year ago, according to an analysis of the government data by Transport Topics.

Oh, but pay no attention to those peers of yours. Listen to Ray. He knows everything about everything!

 

[GMCGeneral]

I think it's possible. The quality of the average truck driver has deteriorated over the years, so having more potheads isn't unbelievable.

The thing is, even if you fail a random and don't get outright fired, it'll be 90 days before you can drive again. Who can take 3 months off work? Those guys typically find another line of work and never go back to driving.

Personally, if someone isn't disciplined enough to stay clean, they they have no business driving a truck.

Or a bus. You think the truck driver shortage is bad? It's worse for passenger transport, and I am referring to everything from School Bus all the way up to line run and tour/charter motorcoach. For example, out of a rookie class of 48, only 4 passed the drug screen in the transit agency where I work, and our driver shortage is severe enough where routes have to be cut.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Or a bus. You think the truck driver shortage is bad? It's worse for passenger transport, and I am referring to everything from School Bus all the way up to line run and tour/charter motorcoach. For example, out of a rookie class of 48, only 4 passed the drug screen in the transit agency where I work, and our driver shortage is severe enough where routes have to be cut.

These drug tests are plaguing our nation in nearly every industry that has them, not just the transportation industry.

Maybe the only solution to our problems is to make drug testing illegal except for cases where the employee exposes possible intoxication on the job. If somebody is smoking pot with their buddies on Friday and they come to work Monday and can't pass a drug test. I could care less. They aren't presenting harm to themselves, to me, or to others. They are perfectly sober.

Of course our politicians would never make such a law as insurance companies pay big bucks to them come election time.

 

[Papageorgio]

Right, yet you accused and asked.. I clarified and answered. You're welcome.

(Besides you) Who claimed it did? You've been arguing only with yourself.

Meanwhile, back to some of the actual claims:

Oh, but pay no attention to those peers of yours. Listen to Ray. He knows everything about everything!

Already said marijuana was the biggest cause. You said speed. Now, you are arguing with yourself.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Or a bus. You think the truck driver shortage is bad? It's worse for passenger transport, and I am referring to everything from School Bus all the way up to line run and tour/charter motorcoach. For example, out of a rookie class of 48, only 4 passed the drug screen in the transit agency where I work, and our driver shortage is severe enough where routes have to be cut.

That's probably because shuttle bus driver pay sucks rocks. Might make just as much flipping burgers.

 

[Devils_Advocate]

I've been in the business over 30 years. In all that time we've never had enough drivers. With new government regulations they forced me off the road, and they make more new regulations nearly every single year.

So what's up for next year? Instead of learning to drive a truck through a company or driving school, starting February you will have to go to a government school. They will give you a choice of which ones you can attend. Even if you work for a company like I did that moved up class B drivers to class A (straight truck to tractor-trailer) you still have to attend government school. Same holds true if you want to add a Haz-Mat endorsement. Before you just took a test. Now to get your Haz-Mat you will need to go to government school and then take a test.

Bureaucrats make it more and more difficult for people to get or stay in this line of work. After a while you say F-it already. I'm sick of this government bullshit and get out of it.

I remember you are a driver, so no longer?

The fact is the Government keep on making it impossible and soon you will need to be a Harvard Graduate to drive…

I get your gripe and do not know what to say…

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I remember you are a driver, so no longer?

The fact is the Government keep on making it impossible and soon you will need to be a Harvard Graduate to drive…

I get your gripe and do not know what to say…

I've had medical issues most all of my adult life. They had special things we had to do to get our medical card, but they kept making it more and more impossible to get past them every year.

For instance it used to be where my doctor would perform the DOT physical and give me my medical waiver. Then some genius came up with the idea to have a complete stranger do the DOT physical who didn't treat my conditions but was certified by the government.

They gave me a list of government approved doctors, but try finding one that will give you a medical waiver when they don't even treat your ailments. I've had them hang up the phone on me, tell me they refuse to do it for liability reasons, tell me they had no idea what I was talking about because they never heard of it.

I finally found one doctor willing to take the risk, but things got worse from there with even more regulations. That doctor told me even he couldn't certify me anymore with the new policies they put in place, so I said F-it. I went on disability.

 

[Grumblenuts]

Already said marijuana was the biggest cause.

Funny, search of "marijuana" indicates this as the only time you've mentioned it.

You said speed.

I said speed what? Make sense, I know you can do it!

Just fyi, what the Post report is saying is that 72,000 drivers have disappeared since 2020 due to the recent regulation changes. That's in addition to all the jobs lost due to the existing drug regulations. In other words, the 72,000 is just the tip of the iceberg, adding insult to injury.

 

[Papageorgio]

Funny, search of "marijuana" indicates this as the only time you've mentioned it.

I said speed what? Make sense, I know you can do it!

Just fyi, what the Post report is saying is that 72,000 drivers have disappeared since 2020 due to the recent regulation changes. That's in addition to all the jobs lost due to the existing drug regulations. In other words, the 72,000 is just the tip of the iceberg, adding insult to injury.

More insults? That seems to be all you have. Let me know when you want to be an adult.

As far as pot, I said the numbers of those drug tested are getting more positives in states where it is legal than states where it is illegal.

When you learn what speed is let me know.

 

[Grumblenuts]

More insults? That seems to be all you have. Let me know when you want to be an adult.

As far as pot, I said the numbers of those drug tested are getting more positives in states where it is legal than states where it is illegal.

When you learn what speed is let me know.

- Said the pot to the kettle.

- I recall. A shared factoid, one that no one seems to have disputed.. yet.

- I know what speed is.

 

[Papageorgio]

- Said the pot to the kettle.

- I recall. A shared factoid, one that no one seems to have disputed.. yet.

- I know what speed is.

It's a start, take care.