Drug and Alcohol Testing Guidelines CDL Drivers Need to Know

The first question to explore is who is subject to the Department of Transportation or DOT drug and alcohol testing? Anyone DOT regulations define as a safety sensitive employee can be tested. This includes employees who hold their CDL and operate commercial vehicles of £26,001 or greater, drive vehicles carrying 16 passengers or more, or are required to display a DOT hazardous material sign on their vehicle. It's important to know that you are subject to testing based on your qualifications, not the job you are currently performing. For example, if you work in a warehouse where large vehicles are used for transporting goods and you have your cdl, then you're subject to testing as you may be called upon to operate the vehicle if needed. Testing is done for the safety of the driver, co workers and the general public on the roads. Under the current regulations, safety sensitive employees, including CDL drivers, may not possess or use any alcohol or illicit drugs while assigned to or performing safety sensitive functions. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety association Prohibits work for 24 hours after testing with a blood alcohol concentration of.02. Drivers can't use alcohol within four hours of reporting for service and can't refuse testing or alter the testing specimen in any way. So what drugs does the DOT test for? First DOT drug tests are only performed using a urine specimen which is analyzed for the following substances marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines including mdma, opioids like heroin, codeine, morphine and oxycodone and pcp. Urine samples must be collected at a designated collection site with photo identification and following all the collection site procedures to ensure a usable sample. Alcohol tests are done with a DOT approved breathalyzer. If the results are less than.02, no further action is taken. The FMCSA requires that drivers can't Resume work for 24 hours with a result of.02 to.039. A result of.04 or higher constitutes immediate removal from job functions and the return to duty process must be followed. There are several incidents when a driver may be asked to provide a sample. The first is for pre employment. As a new hire, employers are required to conduct drug and alcohol testing for CDL drivers. Drivers can only begin work once a negative test has been reported. Another time that testing will be performed is under reasonable suspicion. This means that the employer has reason to believe you're under the influence of drugs or alcohol based on observations of behavior, speech, appearance or smell. DOT regulations also permit employers to conduct random drug and alcohol testing. Under these regulations, the testing must be truly random and can't single out a specific employee. Every employee must have an equal chance of being selected for testing after an accident is another time when drug and alcohol testing is required. This is also the only time a blood test may be required. If at any time an employee violates the drug and alcohol rules, they will be required to follow the return to duty process and pass a test before returning to work. They will be subject to at least six unannounced drug and alcohol tests in the first 12 months of their return to work. The substance abuse professional on site will determine how much follow up testing is required for up to five years. Prescription and over the counter drugs can present a tricky situation in drug and alcohol testing. Drivers are permitted to use prescription and OTC drugs as long as they are prescribed by a licensed doctor and the doctor has made a good faith judgment that the medication won't impact your abilities in any way. Prescription and OTC medications must only be used as directed and should be reported to the medical review officer at the testing site. Medical review officers should then be put in contact with the prescribing doctor to determine work functions. Employees are encouraged to check their company's specific policies when taking any medications. DOT regulations require employees to meet with a substance abuse professional if a drug and alcohol rule is violated. Saps will recommend education, treatment, follow up tests, and aftercare before a driver can return to work. Finally, DOT regulations prohibit the refusal of a test. If a driver refuses a test or fails to show up at the designated testing time, alters the test in any way, or doesn't follow testing directions, they will be immediately removed from work and won't be allowed to return until they have met with an SAP, provided a negative test sample, and followed all return to duty guidelines.