Lack of drivers hamstringing supply chain recovery
Drug clearinghouse, retirements, infrastructure among factors affecting driver availability John Gallagher, Washington Correspondent Tuesday, November 2, 2021 The trucking industry is desperate to get drivers into seats at a time when the supply chain needs them most, but a variety of factors is stalling the industry’s ability to gain traction. Chief among those factors is the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse . Since January 2020 when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began recording substance abuse violations in the clearinghouse database, over 91,000 drivers have been taken off the road for testing positive or refusing to take a test. That number is expected to hit 100,000 before the end of the year. While this is considered proof that the clearinghouse is doing its job — keeping unsafe drivers off the road — it is also increasing pressure on carriers trying to deal with unprecedented freight demand. “We’ve lost, at least temporarily,