Section § 382.301: Pre-employment testing.

Guidance Q&A

Question 6: May a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) driving skills test examiner conduct a driving skills test administered in accordance with 49 CFR part 383 before a person subject to part 382 is tested for alcohol and controlled substances?

Guidance: Yes. A Commercial Driver's License (CDL) driving skills test examiner, including a third party CDL driving skills test examiner, may administer a driving skills test to a person subject to part 382 without first testing him/her for alcohol and controlled substances. The intent of the CDL driving skills test is to assess a person’s ability to operate a commercial motor vehicle during an official government test of their driving skills. However, this guidance does not allow an employer (including a truck or bus driver training school) to use a person as a current company, lease, or student driver prior to obtaining a verified negative test result. An employer must obtain a verified negative controlled substance test result prior to dispatching a driver on his/her first trip.