DOT Drug Testing
There are five situations when testing must be performed to determine the
presence of drugs and or alcohol.
-
Pre-Employment
-
Post-Accident
- Random
-
Reasonable Suspicion
- Return to
Duty/Follow-Up
Before a new hire can perform any safety sensitive duties he or she must have a
verified negative result from a preemployment drug screen.
Following an accident where: a) there was a loss of life, or b)the driver was
cited for a moving violation AND 1)a vehicle had to be towed from the sceen or
2)someone was injured and required medical treatment away from the scene. A drug
and alcohol test is required for a post accident test. The Post Accident drug
test should be performed as soon as possible follwing the accident but not later
than 32 hours afterwards. A Post Accident alcohol test should be performed
within 2 hours of the accident; if for some reason it cannot be performed within
8 hours after the accident, all attempts should be halted.
Unannounced random testing is required on a certain percentage of drivers each
year. The current rates of testing are 50% of the employees for drugs and 10%
for alcohol. The random selection process must ensure that each driver has an
equal chance of being tested each time a selection is performed. Random
selection for alcohol must be completed just before, during or immediately after
performing safety-sensitive functions. Random drug testing can be done any time
an employee is at work.
If the employer has reason to believe that an employees behavior or appearance
may indicate alcohol or drug abuse, he may require this employee to under go
drug and alcohol testing. Testing for reasonable suspicion must be based on the
observations of a trained supervisor.
Return to duty testing is required for drivers who have violated the drug and or
alcohol provisions. In order to return to work an employee must have a verified
negative result from a return to duty test. Follow up testing is required when a
driver returns to a safety sensitive function after violating the provisions for
drug and alcohol testing. He must have at least (6) tests during the first year
back to work, and may be required to be tested for up to 5 years.