Faq
At a minimum, employees must bring a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, to the collection facility. However, if the employee fails to bring an acceptable photo ID to the collection site, the employee’s Designated Employer Representative (DER) can positively identify him or her over the telephone. Though not required, employers may also want to provide the necessary Custody and Control Form (CCF) for their employee drug tests.
Keep in mind that your drug testing program is primarily one of deterrence, although, it has a significant detection result. As a part of the collection process, there are several safeguards in place to help prevent a substitution from going undetected. The urine specimen must be within a specific temperature range (90° to 100° F). If the urine collected is outside that temperature range, a directly observed collection is conducted to ensure that the urine comes directly from the donor’s body.
Many people believe they can get a negative test result by adulterating their urine specimen. However, such efforts to produce a negative test result are generally revealed in validity testing conducted by laboratories. Sometimes individuals using adulterants self-identify. We have had situations where an individual says that he couldn’t have a positive test result because he used a guaranteed adulterant.
If a second collection were required, it would have been indicated on the MRO verification statement. What was the reason for the canceled test? If it was a Random test, no recollection is required or allowed. However, in the case of a Pre-Employment, Return-to-Duty or Follow-Up test, the driver must submit to a recollection. For these three test types, the regulations require that an employee has a negative result before performing safety-sensitive duties.
49 CFR Part 40.323 allows you, as an employer, to release information pertaining to an employee’s drug or alcohol test without the employee’s consent in certain legal proceedings. These proceedings include a lawsuit, grievance or administrative proceeding (e.g., unemployment compensation hearing) brought by, or on behalf of, an employee and resulting from a positive DOT drug or alcohol test or a refusal to test (including, but not limited to, adulterated or substituted test results).
No. Your driver violated the DOT drug and alcohol prohibitions, and he must complete the Return-to-Duty process. DOT regulations do not differentiate between one-time and reoccurring substance abuse problems. If he wants to return to work as a driver, he must contact a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and complete the Return-to-Duty process — even if he will not continue in your employment. Whether or not the driver remains in your employ will be determined by your company’s drug and alcohol testing policy since terminations are not a regulatory issue.
Yes. Not only do the regulations require that you have a program, they specifically state that you must participate in a drug and alcohol testing consortium.
There are no rules or regulations stating that you cannot run your own DOT drug and alcohol testing program. However, there are so many regulatory requirements — such as a policy, a certified MRO, Reasonable-Suspicion training for supervisors, Post-Accident training, etc. — that it is often difficult for a small company to manage its own program. An effective Consortium/Third Party Administrator will also keep you informed of regulation changes and provide required reports.
The regulations require that every driver receives a policy containing specific information. The regulations also require employers to maintain a receipt signed by the driver to verify that he has been told about the drug and alcohol program requirements. These rules apply to all employers, even owner-operators. [49 CFR Part 382.601].
The drug and alcohol testing regulations address and apply to motor carriers of all sizes equally, whether there is only one driver or many drivers. [49 CFR Part 382].
A Custody and Control Form, often called a CCF, is a five-part carbon copy form used to document the information pertaining to a drug test.
To determine whether you have a Federal, Non-Federal or Forensic form, look at the identifier on the top of the form. For example, a Federal Form — the type of form used for all DOT testing – says “Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form.” A Non-Federal Form simply says “Custody and Control Form” with “Do Not Use this Form for DOT Collections” underneath. The name of the laboratory (Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, Advanced Toxicology Network (ATN), MedTox, etc.) is found in the upper right corner.
We can provide CCFs that are coded for a specific company. However, we do not print medical facility or collection site information on CCFs.
If the driver has been selected for a Random test, you may want to wait for him or her to return to your area so that he or she can get a CCF. When a driver does not bring a CCF to the collection site, the chance of a glitch in the testing process is greatly increased. However, remember that your driver must complete the Random selection within the current testing period (quarter).
No. In fact, 49 CFR Part 40.45 specifically permits altering a CCF. Please call us at 800-253-5506, and we will fax you step-by-step instructions for altering a Federal CCF.
Collection sites keep the required Alcohol Testing Forms (ATFs) on hand, therefore, employees do not need to bring an ATF to a collection site. Employees should, however, bring Custody and Control Forms (CCFs) to collection sites for drug tests.
Any fatality (except for the driver).
Citation for moving violation and disabling damage to any involved vehicle.
Citation for moving violation and medical treatment away from the scene.
My driver was just in an accident. The incident didn’t meet the DOT requirements, but I want to do a drug and alcohol test as a precaution.
We strongly advise against performing any DOT Post-Accident drug or alcohol testing unless DOT criteria are met. However, if your policy clearly states that you require Post-Accident drug and alcohol testing for any accident or incident, you would conduct the testing using a Non-Federal custody and control form and a Non-Federal alcohol testing form.
If your driver is regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), you do not need to send him for a Post-Accident test. In situations where there is disabling damage to a motor vehicle or bodily injury with immediate medical treatment away from the scene, the driver is subject to Post-Accident testing only if he receives a citation. Post-Accident testing must always be conducted in the event of a human fatality. Employers with a general drug and alcohol policy that requires post-incident testing may conduct a non-Federal test.
When required, Post-Accident tests must be conducted as soon as practicable. If a test is not administered within two hours, the employer must prepare and maintain a file stating the reasons why a test was not promptly conducted. The employer must also continue to attempt to administer a Post-Accident alcohol test for up to eight hours and the Post-Accident controlled substances test for up to 32 hours after an incident. You must document the failure to conduct a Post-Accident test on your MIS report.
After eight hours has passed, the employer should cease all attempts to complete the alcohol test. The employer must record the failure to test in the file that was created when the test was not completed at the two-hour mark. The failure must also be documented in the employer’s MIS report.
No. Even if the accident meets the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) definition of an accident requiring testing, it is too late. The FMCSRs state that drivers who have been in an accident requiring Post-Accident testing must be tested for controlled substance and alcohol use as soon as practicable following an incident. If an alcohol test is not administered within 8 hours following the accident, the employer shall cease all attempts to administer a test. Similarly, a substance abuse test must be administered within 32 hours of an accident.
Yes. If you are able to obtain a blood alcohol test result from the authorities, you may use it to satisfy your Post-Accident testing requirements. Often, it is easier for employers to administer their own tests.
FMCSA requires a urine test to detect the use of controlled substances.
If your drivers are in a separately managed pool of 11, you must do six Random drug tests and two Random alcohol tests to meet the minimum Random testing requirements of 50% for drugs and 10% for alcohol. However, if your drivers are in a consortium pool for Random selections, the group needs to meet the minimum testing requirements for drugs and alcohol. All you need to do to be in compliance with your Random requirement is to send your employees in for testing when you receive a Random selection.
If you are a Foley client, you will receive written notification from our Random Administrators identifying the individuals to be tested, the testing they are to complete and the testing date. Although you are not required to complete the test on the specific date, you should try to schedule the test as close to the assigned date as possible.
Yes. The only time an individual is not allowed to drive himself or herself to the collection site is for Pre-Employment or Reasonable-Suspicion testing.
You may conduct drug testing in conjunction with your Saturday meeting since drug use is prohibited at all times. However, you may not conduct alcohol testing since Random alcohol tests must be done just before, during or after a driver has performed safety-sensitive functions (e.g., drive). Wait until a regular work day to send the employee for a Random alcohol tests.
Yes. An employee can be randomly selected multiple times during a calendar year. Employees have an equal chance of being selected in each selection period, regardless of prior selections. In this case, the driver was selected in two different selection periods.
Explain to him that Random selections are derived from a computer-generated, unbiased selection process. As such, every employee in the testing pool has an equal chance of being selected during each selection period. Some employees are selected multiple times during the calendar year, while others may not be selected at all.
No. The employee who was randomly selected must be tested, per the DOT. You cannot get an alternate selection or send another employee simply because an individual has been selected multiple times.
No. You are not to provide any advanced notification of a Random selection. The key to Random testing is that the tests are unannounced.
No. If your boss is available to drive, he must be in a Random selection program and report for testing when selected. By regulation, another selection cannot be substituted for your boss’s selection.
Is the individual driving now or is he out on worker’s comp or medical leave? If he is not presently working and available to perform safety-sensitive functions, he should not go for testing at this time. If the individual is driving, or available to drive, did the doctor who prescribed the medication know that he drives for a living? (The doctor may decide he shouldn’t drive while on the pain medication or may be able to prescribe something different that won’t affect his driving.)
Should the result come back positive, our MRO would cal7.8125em;l him and discuss the result and your driver would state that he is on prescribed medication. An individual taking a medication prescribed to him, in the manner it is prescribed, shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
You do need to send him for his Random testing. Let us check whether your collection site offers weekend hours. If not, we will try to find a collection site in your area that has hours that will fit with your employee’s work schedule.
If you have a reasonable suspicion that a DOT-regulated safety-sensitive employee is using drugs, you are required to send him for a Reasonable-Suspicion drug test. Your determination to test must be based on specific, contemporaneous, articulable observations concerning the appearance, behavior, speech or body odors of the employee. The supervisor making the Reasonable-Suspicion determination must be trained in reasonable suspicion. The regulation specifies 60 minutes of alcohol and 60 minutes of controlled substances Reasonable-Suspicion training.
An individual cannot be “selected” for random testing at the request of an employer since this is not a scientifically valid method. Conducting a “random” test without documentation that shows how the individual was selected could put your company at risk for legal action.
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) may request any number of Follow-Up tests in a Follow-Up plan. However, there must be a minimum of six tests within the first 12 months of the employee’s return to safety-sensitive functions.
Yes. Fleetwatch has a written response from Jerry Powers, FTA Drug Manager, and he states that this does qualify as a refusal to submit. If the authorization merely informs the employee that USDOT drug testing is not subject to the same privacy generally experienced in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA) of 1996, the authorization would not constitute a consent, release, waiver of liability, or indemnification under 49 CFR Part 40.355.
The failure of the employee to provide a urine sample or comply with the collection must be considered a refusal. Even if the authorization did violate 49 CFR Part 40.355, FTA would expect the employee to comply with the test. An item of non-compliance on the part of the collection site is handled by FTA or the transit agency/TPA, not the employee. An authorization, such as the one in question, should not be used in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) testing. The testing form itself is the only authorization required.
Under 49 CFR Part 391.41(b)(12), the driver is to be removed from driving duties and is medically unqualified for the duration of the prohibited drug use. Before he or she can resume driving, the driver must be examined by a doctor chosen by the employer, who may determine that the driver needs to see a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), complete a drug rehab program and/or have a negative drug test result. Once the doctor has determined that driver is drug free, the driver may return to safety-sensitive duties. Since this is a non-Federal drug test, the requirements of 49 CFR Parts 382 and 40 do not come into play.
DOT regulations do not specify who is responsible for paying for SAP services. Who pays for such services may be determined by employers and employees and may be governed by existing management-labor agreements and could be covered by health care benefits. Many employers pass the costs associated with the return-to-duty process to the employee. However, an employer may choose to cover these costs.
As a general rule, the answer is “no.” There are, however, certain situations when it is acceptable for an SAP to evaluate and treat an individual going through the return-to-duty process.
It depends, but probably not. The DOT regulations require MROs to be certified. Unless your doctor is a certified MRO, he or she may not act as a Medical Review Officer.
49 CFR Part 40 requires that a donor be allowed up to three hours after an initial failed attempt to produce a sufficient urine specimen. During this time, the donor may drink up to 40 ounces of fluid.
Yes. When an employee is not able to produce a sufficient volume of urine for a drug test, the employer is required to direct the employee to obtain a medical evaluation from a licensed physician who is acceptable to the Medical Review Officer (MRO) and has expertise in the medical issues raised by the employee’s failure to provide a sufficient specimen. The employer can facilitate the medical evaluation by scheduling an appointment for the employee with a MRO-approved physician.