Truck drivers in the United States must follow stringent DOT rules and regulations regarding the DOT drug and alcohol testing since they are vital steps to be taken before hitting the road. The requirements include frequency for the test and procedures for the same. As much as the employers and trucking companies’ key role is to ensure that their employees are tested, it is the drivers’ primary responsibility to ensure they follow all compliance requirements to the latter.

Testing conducted and required

Consortium for DOT drug and alcohol testing recommends that all drug and alcohol tests to be done for truck drivers. This ensures that drivers stay conversant with the DOT drug and alcohol consortium. Various types of tests are done.

This includes many of the tests we discuss below.

Pre-employment testing

DOT requirements state that drivers get a test before they are employed to drive trucks or other vehicles. This testing is done before employment and is referred to as pre-employment testing. To get through this, an aspiring driver must get a negative drug result. This way, you get the permit to drive and operate.

Post-accident test

After the occurrence of an accident, you must do a drug and alcohol test. We referred to it as a post-accident test. Testing is done to conclude whether the accident occurred because the driver was under drug or alcohol influence.

Random testing

Truck drivers go through a series of random testing, which are randomly selected times all year long. You will not be aware of when you will do the testing. This ensures that you learn to keep your mind, health, and body system clean at all time, that is, free of drugs and alcohol, to secure your job.

Reasonable suspicion testing

Sometimes you can spot when a person seems to be under the influence of a drug or alcohol via their actions. In this same way, you can tell if a driver is under the influence. When this happens, the driver will be asked to take a mandatory test. This test is referred to the reasonable suspicion testing. The CDL or Compliance supervisors are well trained to quickly spot this.

Return-to-duty testing

If a driver had a positive result from the DOT drug and alcohol test, or maybe chose not to undergo the test, it can lead to breaking the rules. They would have to take the return to duty test. This is the only way you can get back to your truck. One must see a negative result to allow you to get back driving on the road.

Follow-up test

Like the return-to-duty test, the follow-up test is carried out for drivers that have tested positive before. It is also carried out for the drivers that chose not to partake in the test. This is done after the return-to-duty test. However, this is done only when the test is negative. The test goes for one year, with six tests in between, and one can extend this to 48 months or four years. That is why the name, follow-up test.

Services available to help monitor testing

A DOT drug and alcohol consortium will help keep you in your truck and on the road, being productive. The only requirement of you is to observe specific guidelines. These are services which are offered to help ensure the DOT and other agencies are keeping up with the compliance of truck drivers.

Same day enrollment

There is a membership fee required to sign up with the best DOT drug testing Consortium in the USA. This membership fee is annual. You are required to sign up, and the enrollment is done that same day. This improves the services and monitors the testing done on truck drivers. No hidden fees are charged.

Testing and collecting locations are convenient

With a DOT drug and alcohol consortium, the collection sites for your results are at a convenient location located across the United States. We have many locations available no matter where you are located. Your company only needs to select a clinic for their drug and alcohol collection. Clinics are set up for a location convenient for truck drivers or the company at large. Collections can also be made accessible for the drivers and companies that would wish to have their collection at their offices.

24-hour access to your account

Truck drivers must have an account showing their results and progress with the DOT drug and alcohol testing. 24-hour access to your account helps ensure that testing is monitored. You can log in with your phone or a computer. You are also free to manage your account anywhere you are, any time of the day or night.

Testing records

A record of your test and the results that you get are kept. This way, if an employer wants to look at your previous history, they can quickly get it despite the number of years back.