What Employers Need to Know

The DOT drug and alcohol testing procedures are extensive and can be found in 49 CFR Part 40 Subpart E and Part 40 Subpart L, respectively. It is important for employers to know the testing process in order to ensure proper procedures are followed to protect the interests of the company and their drivers. An employer handbook titled What Employers Need to Know about DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing is available on the U.S. DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) Web site. The employer handbook provides valuable information on program policies and assigning responsibilities, selection of service agents and their roles, employee and supervisor training and education, employer actions when employees violate rules and recordkeeping and data collection requirements and program compliance and audits.

In addition to the employer handbook, an employee handbook is available on the ODAPC Web site. To facilitate employers obtaining information on how urine and alcohol tests are administered to ensure the validity of testing as well as provide confidentiality of the employees’ testing information, we recommend reviewing the employee handbook.

To further facilitate employers obtaining knowledge of proper testing procedures, we recommend the mock collection instructional video offered on the ODAPC web site.

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