Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Trucker shortage vs Legalized Marijuana

Anybody else think there is a strong correlation between the two?

I believe trucking companies require piss test....no?

Is that why Cali outlawed independent truckers? Because they legalized weed?


I don't know, just a thought I had and figured I'd share. With so many states legalizing weed, it has to be a factor.

We are honestly going to have rethink the whole piss test-liability thing.

Possible, my buddy has a CDL with all the Class designations....and he has to pizz clean including no weed.

No it's because the job sucks ass. That's why nothing but foreigners like eastern Europeans, sikh's, and Muslims are driving them.

It's also why they drive like dog schiett

Calling all Mtn Boomers.

Many factors depending on our views (include prejudices)

Independents dont have super clean diesels
Mexican drivers have been deported according to some
Non union not welcome
Big trucking companies have transitioned to logistics
Maybe marijuana use

There's a bit of truth to this.

And some of those folks think highly of living in America and being able to work hard and get where they couldn't in their scheidthole countries.

I'm on the board of a large local co-op and a major problem we have is employees that think that because marijuana is legal, that the laws and requirements about being drug free somehow don't apply anymore. Wrong.

The regulations and restrictions are worse for getting a CDL than a Private Pilots License.



The industry is doing what ever it can to make it harder and harder to get a CDL.

It seems like a meat grinder job. Trucker gets fed into the wood chipper with long hours, away from home, not enough pay...

A lot more truckers on the road than in the air with potentially more road situations to cause a wreck.

Personally, I want the trucker qualified, trained, and sober when driving.

As for weed, treat it the same as booze.

🦫

We dont want a gorrillion immigrants flooding in to do the jobs eh?



The "liability" situation in this country makes the EU laugh.

There are shortage problems in trucking alright.
Shortage of pay,
Shortage of consideration,
Shortage of respect, it goes on and on.

The top paid local drivers earn about what I do now.
I work 8 hours. Inside, without a license, no liability, very little
personal danger, no pee tests, no law enforcement looking to
screw me over. Anything over 8 is overtime.

Long haul drivers earn more, but much less/hr.
I always said as a longhauler that in many ways prisoners lived a
better/more free life than I did.

They eat 3 times a day, on schedule.
They can shower regularly, on schedule.
They can sleep, regularly, on schedule.
They have free time to pursue their interests (pretty decent in the prisons)

That sounds like BS to those who never ran long haul.
But load requirements, loading/unloading times/laws, controlled
all the above for me. (Except laws. Back then we disregarded them)

So you have guys trading 6/7 of their life for $70-80k.
Before road expenses.

Dillon! You should be submitting to 8 piss tests daily!


For my safety!

Had a conversation about that with my insurance company this week. My policy dictates if A guy makes a workers comp claim and pisses dirty, they pay out for that injury, but no longer cover that guy, in effect, I’m forced to fire him. Now that it’s legal in Va I asked what the hell we’re doing now, and she told me they’re trying to figure it out, but no idea yet.

I believe in personal responsibility, so everyone should have a right to do what they want to their body, and if a person smokes, drinks or uses, there should be no welfare of any type. Life choices should have consequences.
It would control the outcome much better .

I get it. It's a meat grinder. That's why i said it sucks.

This must be the only country on earth that pushes and encourages substance abuse....then penalizes the fugg out of you for doing it.

The piss tests only detect the residuals from smoking weed, not the intoxicating effects.The residuals may be in your system for up to 30 days after you light up. The intoxicating effects only last a few hours. I agree treat weed the same as booze. But there needs to be a test for intoxication, not residuals.

When I worked for the DOT a CDL was not a requirement for my position but after a few years I went thru the training and rec my class A with air brakes , combined vehicles, tank cert everything but hazmat. You are then subjected to random drug testing (piss test) if you won't take or fail one your out on your ear. Never been a doper or any other illegal drug user. All I need to look at is that clause on a 4473 to know why I ain't going there. In a snow plow your out in absolutely the worse driving conditions visibility , cold, snow ,sleet, slush with 12 /20' of big steel on the driving surface trying to make the road safe for others. The others the traveling public some just trying to get home and some trying to round up more beer, dope or pizza. It's a thankless job and so is truck driving that' s so many wander from it and become dopers
They weren't the right people for it in the 1st place. Mb

Long hours, away from home, not enough pay?

Where have I heard that before?

Such is life, this "away from home" stuff bothers me. A person does what they need to do to support themselves and their family. Been happening for eons.

Military goes though it all the time.

Not military, but the wife and I lived in different areas of the country for the last 10 years of our careers before retirement, full time some years, 8 month season the other years. Hadn't been for an eye injury I might still be working in WA while she lives here in Cali, but I retired 4 years ago. we couldn't always find good paying work in our fields in the same area and she was at a point in her career that many times meant living in a real city which I can't do.

More Americans need to realize sometimes life ain't easy and, yeah, we might have to work long hours, away from home................and there's never enough pay!