The Trump administration’s move to reclassify marijuana will not change the rules for truck drivers, but industry groups warn it could still create confusion about what’s allowed behind the wheel.
After Donald Trump signed an executive order more than four months ago directing the attorney general to move it from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, acting attorney general, Todd Blanche signed the order on April 23.
In his post on X, Blanche said the move immediately reschedules FDA-approved marijuana and state-licensed marijuana to Schedule IIl, and orders a new, expedited hearing with set deadlines, to fully reschedule marijuana.
“This Department of Justice is delivering on his promise to improve American healthcare,” he wrote. “These actions will enable more targeted, rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and efficacy, expanding patients’ access to treatments and empowering doctors to make better-informed healthcare decisions.”
Under Schedule I, marijuana was deemed a drug with high potential for abuse, and was on the same level as heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and other illegal drugs prohibited for prescription.
Even though the administration’s move now places cannabis in a category with substances like ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone, which are recognized as having accepted medical uses, the Truckload Carriers Association says that the rules for truck drivers remain unchanged.
Under U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, commercial drivers remain prohibited from using marijuana in any form, including for medical purposes, regardless of how the drug is classified under federal law.
“Looking at this change through a lens focused on commercial motor vehicle and highway safety, TCA has concerns that this reclassification could carry unintended consequences for an industry that prohibits truck drivers from using it,” the TCA said in a statement. “Notifications such as these often lead to misinterpretations of federal regulations, but even with the rescheduling, we must continually stress that marijuana use, even medical marijuana, is strictly prohibited.”
The association also warned that reclassification could complicate how safety rules are enforced, since there is no universally accepted standard for determining impairment at the roadside, unlike for alcohol.
TCA further expressed its support for hair testing as an alternative to urine-based screening and urged lawmakers to move forward with legislation that would require positive hair test results to be reported in the federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to identify violations before drivers can move between fleets.
That aligns with broader efforts already underway in Washington. The American Trucking Associations just backed a group of lawmakers calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to remove barriers preventing the wider use of oral fluid and hair testing for safety-sensitive workers.
Been there, done that
Canada once had the same debate about safety and cannabis accessibility when it was legalized back in 2018. Despite initial fears of increased drug use among truck drivers, the 2024 data has shown relatively stable trends in positive marijuana tests in the years since legalization.
Back then, DriverCheck Inc., Canada’s provider of workplace medical testing and assessments, told trucknews.com that despite the legalization, regulated trucking had the lowest marijuana testing positivity rates among the various sectors DriverCheck serves, including aviation, construction, health care, manufacturing, mining, public transit, railways, and others.
When it comes to impairment testing itself, in Canada, urine and oral fluid tests are commonly used to distinguish between past and recent use. While urine tests detect substances over a longer period, oral fluid tests – which have been gaining increased popularity – are more effective in identifying recent use, particularly for THC, within the last 12 to 24 hours. At the time, DriverCheck said hair testing was not widespread since it detects cannabis use within one to three months, and blood tests are considered too invasive.
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