DOT Drug Testing Rules for Employees

The Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates the safety standards for vehicle operators working in aviation, trucking, rail, public transit, interstate pipelines and other transportation industries. As part of the Department’s efforts to keep the public safe, DOT standards require regular drug testing to qualify safety-sensitive employees. When one of these employees fails a drug/alcohol test, or when the test is refused, the safety-sensitive employee must be immediately removed from their duties. In order to resume their safety-sensitive duties, the employee must successfully complete the SAP process.

If you have failed a drug test SAP Referral Services (SRS) can help you start the SAP process so that you can get back to work.

DOT Drug Testing Rules You Have to Follow

Since the early 1990s, DOT drug and alcohol testing rules have applied to safety-sensitive employees in every field, regardless of the other regulations that govern their industries. That means that airline pilots, who are usually regulated under FAA regulations, have exactly the same drug and alcohol testing rules as truck drivers covered under FMCSA. This uniformity ensures common rules and a fair standard for testing and compliance, as well as a standard method for SAP diversion.

What If You Don’t Pass the Test?

If you’re not able to get clearance on your test, either through a positive result or a refusal to take the test, your career is not over. DOT drug testing rules allow for a diversion into an approved SAP program to get you back on track. SAP diversion starts with a referral to a qualified professional who can evaluate your needs and make recommendations for drug education, treatment options, follow-up testing schedules and continuing sober living after you’ve made it through the program, if necessary.

Getting the Help You Need

The first step back into the driver’s seat after a failed drug test is to meet with an experienced substance abuse professional for a consultation and needs assessment. Finding a SAP doesn’t have to be difficult when you partner with SRS. SRS is a service agent who refers employees to qualified SAP providers in their geographic region. The SAP provider conducts your needs assessment and makes recommendations for the kind of treatment and/or education you need to get back into compliance with DOT drug testing rules and, more importantly, stay safe on the roads. If you have an applicant or employee failed or refused a recent drug test, enroll them in our FastTrack Enrollment Program to get the help they need.

SAP Referral Services (SRS) is the leading facilitator for mandated substance abuse evaluations. SRS maintains an extensive network of qualified providers in more than 3,000 locations nationwide for testing violations that originate from any of the DOT’s modes including FMCSA, FAA, FRA, FTA, USCG and PHMSA, or a company’s internal drug and alcohol testing policy.