ATRI asks truck drivers how marijuana policy affects industry

Dive Brief:

The trucking industry wants to know how drivers view the effects of cannabis legalization and federal drug policy on safety, operations and the workforce.
The American Transportation Research Institute survey on the topic is open online through April 28. More than 300 drivers completed the survey by the research arm of the American Trucking Associations at the Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville, Kentucky last month.
“Driver input is a critical component of ATRI’s research and this newest survey is no exception,” ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster said in a statement. “We hope that professional drivers will take a few minutes to provide their perspectives on this critical topic.”

Dive Insight:

The survey is the second this year by ATRI about marijuana and trucking. The previous one asked carriers for their perspectives on the drug, federal policy surrounding it and the effects on the industry.

With more than 20 states that have now legalized the drug, ATRI seeks to understand how conflicts between states’ and federal marijuana policies affect the industry.

The results of the two surveys should allow ATRI to compare and contrast the responses of carriers and drivers — the same way the group does when announcing the industry’s top 10 concerns each year.

Several of the questions for drivers were different than those ATRI asked carriers. The 15 questions in the survey query drivers’ knowledge and perspectives on marijuana in the industry, including:

whether an interstate CDL truck driver can legally use marijuana off-duty in a state where it is legal;
whether drivers believe changes in federal drug testing laws for CDL holders are necessary;
whether drivers think roadway safety has been affected by marijuana legalization;
whether the FMCSA should use an impairment test instead of the current test, which can detect the drug long after its use;
and how common it is for drivers to leave trucking for jobs that do not test for the drug.

The ATA has already reported that increasing marijuana use in the U.S. is one of the factors sidelining drivers from the trucking workforce and contributing to labor constraints.

About 98% of testing results between January 2020 and April 2022 involved drugs, as opposed to alcohol. In that time, marijuana dominated positive results more than all other drugs combined, according to FMCSA data.