Drug and Alcohol Testing
Substance abuse in and out of the workplace can have adverse effects on safety. This safety issue impacts productivity and the overall quality of your workforce. As a result, it’s important both for Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance and for the safety of your workers that you have a comprehensive drug and alcohol screening procedure in place.
Pre-employment drug testing is the most common way to ensure a drug-free workplace. These tests detect the presence of illegal substances. Many forms of testing also include prescription drugs such as opiates in their testing panel. Whether you opt for breath alcohol, urine testing, you can get a clear view of which potential employees meet DOT safety standards. Drug abuse in the workplace can lead to violence, injuries, and lawsuits if not handled properly. HDS Safety Services can make sure that your employees are abiding by DOT compliance standards by providing you with drug testing solutions for your company. This can help you avoid hassles and save money.
Who Needs DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing?
Safety-sensitive employees include:
- Aviation Employees: such as commercial flight instructors, flight crews, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers
- Commercial Motor Carriers: including CDL license holders operating commercial vehicles
- Maritime: such as employees operating commercial sea vessels
- Transit: commercial vehicle operators, mechanics, and controllers, revenue service vehicle, mechanics, and dispatchers.
- Railroad: train dispatchers and those who work with the engine, train, and its services
- Pipeline: emergency response and maintenance workers
In most cases, tasks performed in these jobs qualify people as safety-sensitive employees, not the actual job title. HDS Safety Services is committed to providing accurate and safe testing to ensure DOT compliance and help improve employees’ safety and longevity in the transportation industry.
Why are Employees Tested?
Commercial employees are tested for the safety of those traveling, their co-workers, and of course for the employee. HDS wants to make sure that everyone on the roads, skies, and railways are taking the necessary steps to provide safe and secure transportation. The United States Congress wanted to ensure that our transportation industry was free of drugs and alcohol. In 1991 they passed the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act which requires DOT Agencies to test all commercial transportation employees for drugs and alcohol.
Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs
HDS Safety Services implements tests to ensure that every employee is ready for their career on the open road. If you employ safety-sensitive workers who are subject to DOT rules and regulations, our services can help ensure DOT compliance.
We can administer the following tests:
- Pre-Employment Testing
- Random Testing
- Post-Accident Testing
- Reasonable Suspicion/Cause Testing
- Follow-Up Testing
- Return to Duty Testing
- Non-DOT Drug Testing
HDS Safety Services offers drug and alcohol testing for transportation carriers and also employers outside of the transportation industry. We have collection sites nationwide with all results electronically stored for easy access and record keeping. Drug and alcohol testing is vital to making sure all employees and others traveling remain safe. HDS Safety Services is an essential part of keeping the integrity of our transportation system running safely and smoothly. Our DOT drug and alcohol testing can be conducted before, during, or after the person’s employment.
Drug testing is an important tool that will allow you to check on the health and safety of your employees. We make the process easy and simple. Ensuring your drivers are safe behind the wheel helps guarantee success for your transportation business and your staff. Our knowledgeable professionals are experienced, so you can trust the work that we do.
We do not just specialize in the transportation industry. We offer drug and alcohol testing services for several different employers. We can also implement a drug-free workplace at companies that do not fall under DOT testing regulations.
FMCSA Clearinghouse Compliance
Starting on January 6, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) implemented a new Clearinghouse system for tracking drug and alcohol testing compliance. Trucking companies must report violations for their safety-sensitive employees and must also query the system during the hiring process for new drivers.
The Purpose of the FMCSA Clearinghouse
The FMCSA Clearinghouse system was created to improve highway safety.
It does this in several ways:
- The system makes it easier for motor carriers to complete the pre-employment process and to report any drug and alcohol violations from their drivers.
- It is more difficult for drivers to conceal drug and alcohol program violations.
- Enforcement personnel can use the FMCSA Clearinghouse to more easily confirm that safety-sensitive employees have completed all necessary drug and alcohol testing before performing job duties.
- The FMCSA uses this program to check for compliance among motor carriers.
Important Dates
Since January 6, 2020, it has been necessary to submit a query to the Clearinghouse to check if potential drivers have any violations on file. After this date, trucking companies are also required to report any violations to the system. Currently, motor carriers must conduct traditional queries of a driver’s previous employers in addition to the electronic query as part of the pre-employment process. After January 6, 2023, only the electronic query will be required.
Clearinghouse Guidance
The new Clearinghouse guidelines can be confusing, but HDS Safety Services is here to help. In addition to our other drug testing services, we can assist you in staying compliant with FMCSA Clearinghouse regulations.
