When Your Driver Needs a Substance Abuse Professional
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that all safety-sensitive employees working within their modes to adhere to drug and alcohol testing rules. Consequently, these testing rules apply to safety-sensitive employees of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The mission is to minimize the number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks. Testing for drugs and alcohol ensures that drivers are not operating their oversized motor vehicles under the influence of substances. If one of your safety-sensitive employees fails a drug and/or alcohol test they will immediately be removed from their safety-sensitive duties and be required to work with a DOT qualified Substance Abuse Professional in order to be able to return to any safety-sensitive position.
Types of Incidents That Result in Testing
DOT mandated safety-sensitive FMCSA employees are subject to testing under many scenarios during their careers. During the hiring process, applicants submit to testing for drugs before being hired. Additionally, employers must test employees for both alcohol and drugs after certain types of accidents. These types of accidents are those that involve a human fatality and involve disabling damage to any motor vehicle requiring tow away require the employer to administer drug and alcohol testing.
Lastly, tests can be administered:
- Randomly
- If there’s reasonable suspicion from the employer
- For return-to-duty
- Follow-ups after failing a previous test
When Employees Fail Testing
When a DOT mandated safety-sensitive employee regulated by the FMCSA fails a drug and/or alcohol test they will immediately be removed from their duties. They cannot work any future shifts until they’ve completed the return-to-duty process. Additionally, refusing to participate in drug or alcohol testing results in the same consequences as a failed test.
The return-to-duty process pairs the employee with a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP). A SAP is a qualified professional that evaluates the employee who has violated the drug and alcohol policy. The SAP may recommend education and/or treatment programs. Ultimately, the SAP gives their opinion on when, or if, the employee can submit to a return-to-duty test.
As a DOT-mandated employer, you must provide a SAP list to your employees. Unfortunately, it is hard to keep track of current credentials of the SAPs listed. It is important to note that a Substance Abuse Professional must complete continuing education to keep their DOT qualifications up-to-date. Outdated SAP lists may contain names of SAPs who have let their qualification lapse. Unfortunately, if an employee ends up completing their return-to-duty process with a SAP whose qualifications have expired, the program may have to be repeated.
SAP Referral Services: Find a Substance Abuse Professional Easily
Employers can make their employees’ return-to-duty process faster and easier by turning to a service agent, such as SAP Referral Services (SRS). Partnering with SAP Referral Services eliminates the burden of checking the qualifications of local SAPs. SRS guarantees they will put employees in touch with a local Substance Abuse Professional whose DOT qualifications are up-to-date at the point of initial contact. Reach out to SRS today for more information.
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.