Drug & Alcohol Testing Compliance for Truckers: A Complete Guide

Pre-Employment Testing

Safety-sensitive functions may not be performed until the driver has successfully completed a DOT-conforming drug test. Alcohol testing is not required; however drug testing is mandatory.

Random Testing:

Year-round random testing is required by the FMCSA. Presently, the requirement is for drug testing at the rate of 50% of the average number of driver positions per year and for alcohol testing at a rate of 10% per year. All drivers must be enrolled in a compliant random testing pool (consortium).

Post-Accident Testing

Required after certain DOT-recordable accidents depending on:

• Death
• Citation to the driver

Whether or not a vehicle was towed away or someone received medical attention

Reasonable Suspicion Test

If a trained supervisor believed that an employee engaged in conduct prohibited by the Department of Transportation Drug and Alcohol Policy, that supervisor must make reasonable suspicion testing immediately.

Return-to-Duty Testing

Drivers who violated the drug and alcohol prohibition must complete the SAP process and test negative in a directly observed return-to-duty test.

Follow-Up Testing

The number and frequency of follow-up tests as determined by the SAP will last from 1 to 5 years.

FMCSA Clearinghouse Requirements

Truckers should register for FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Employers must:

• Perform pre-employment queries.
• Conduct annual queries for all drivers.
• Report violations and return-to-duty results.
• Update records.

Failure to use the Clearinghouse constitutes a serious compliance violation.

Recordkeeping Requirements

FMCSA requires documentation of:

• Pre-employment test results.
• Random testing enrollment.
• Post-accident test records.
• Determination of reasonable suspicion.
• Return-to-duty and SAP reports.
• The annual MIS report.

Records must be kept for 1 to 5 years depending on the category.