With respect to the drug and alcohol testing policy set out by the USDOT, it is expedient that all active truck drivers (with vehicles weighing over 26,000 lbs) and passenger vehicle drivers (with 16 or more capacity) should be ready to be called upon at any time of the year for testing.
How are drivers selected for the test? It is a random screening drawn from the pool of all active drivers . The minimum is 50% of drivers for drug testing and 10% for alcohol testing every year. Since it is a random testing program, it means that you can either be called upon for the test as many times as possible within a year, or not called upon at all throughout the year. However, no one wants to be caught off guard, hence, the need for preparation.
FMCSA oversees the drug and alcohol testing program, and most of the processes are free of charge. Nevertheless, you wouldn’t want to be swayed by “free of charge” because the process can be agonizing and frustrating especially if your file keeps getting rejected due to some unnoticeable errors.
Now, just like how H&R Block helps in filing your taxes, there is also a company that helps in filing DOT compliance issues. This company is known as DOT Compliance Group!
The DOT Compliance Group has been helping out numerous trucking companies in the US, and to date, has helped over 230,000 owner-operators and small fleet owners. Their services are not only efficient but also much sought after mainly because we are extremely affordable. The services that the DOT Compliance Group is offering are 100% legitimate, fully compliant with federal laws, and completely hassle-free.
Below is the gist of what you get with DOT Compliance Group:
- DOT certified testing with Quest diagnostics laboratories
- Certified medical review officer services
- Reliable and all-encompassing drug and alcohol policy for your organization
- Email / SMS / mail / fax notifications for all your randomly selected drivers and their respective test results
- Facility to add new drivers to the testing pool automatically upon receiving negative pre-employment drug test results
Apart from this, the DOT Compliance Group is making the trucking industry and its various players aware of how their association with a third-party consortium is going to play out.
Tested positive to either drug or alcohol? What’s the next step to take?
In the event that a driver tested positive for a drug or alcohol test, he must be removed from his safety-sensitive position immediately. It is important to remember that a .04 BAC level will be considered positive (i.e. high level of alcohol/drug in the system) for a driver. Also, even if the result comes out to be anything less than that, it will require the employer to remove the driver from his safety-sensitive position for at least 24 hours before they can resume work.
In case a medical review officer has reviewed the alcohol test to be positive for a driver, as per the DOT requirement, the driver must be referred to a substance abuse professional. Remember, his employment will be contingent based upon your (the employer) particular drug/alcohol policy that have been implemented in your organization.
The substance abuse professional (SAP) is going to list down a few requirements that a safety-sensitive professional needs to fulfil. Until these requirements are met, he may not be able to get back to his regular responsibilities as a driver in your company. The employee will also be subject to additional drug and alcohol testing procedures that will be determined by SAP. This is called a “follow up” testing process which may continue for up to 5 years or as per the discretion of the SAP.
Helping Out Trucking Companies With The 6 Testing Situations Laid Down By The Department Of Transportation
- Pre-employment testing where there is no record of any negative drug test on file
- Random test selection where the employee is selected randomly for the testing procedure
- Post-accident testing in case of fatality and moving violation citation
- Reasonable suspicion
- Return to duty testing which is required if the previous test has turned out to be positive
- Follow up testing which is an additional random testing procedure after the employee returns to their duty/position
Understanding The Role Of The Medical Review Officer (MRO)
According to the Department Of Transportation, only an approved laboratory is allowed to evaluate the acquired drug test specimens. All the test results, whether negative or presumptive positive, will be sent to a medical review officer appointed by the DOT. It is the responsibility of the officer to determine whether the substance found in the employee’s system was as a result of prescription from his doctor or a result of substance abuse.
At the end, the medical review officer will have access to resources that will help him come to a conclusion as to whether the employee needs to be removed from their safety-sensitive position or not.
DOT Compliance Group educate its clients and prospective clients about their compliance status with DOT. For a trucking company to function seamlessly, it needs to be fully compliant with the testing program all the time. The Dot Compliance Group is always on ground to assist you in removing any hassle as pertaining to DOT compliance.