Drug And Alcohol Testing

---
name: drug-and-alcohol-testing
description: |
  Use this skill when the user asks about commercial driver drug & alcohol testing under 49 CFR 382 + 40 — the six testing reasons (pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty, follow-up), MRO process, SAP/return-to-duty process, post-accident triggers, random selection rates, what panels are tested, refusal definitions, or testing programs and consortiums. Cite specific 49 CFR 382 or 40 subsection.
---

# Drug & Alcohol Testing for CDL Drivers — 49 CFR 382 + 40

DOT D&A testing rules cover drivers operating CMVs requiring a CDL. Carriers must run a compliant testing program OR contract with a consortium/TPA.

## The six testing reasons

1. **Pre-employment** (382.301) — Required before any new hire performs safety-sensitive function (i.e., drives). Drug test only; alcohol pre-employment is optional. Result must be negative before driver can begin.
2. **Random** (382.305) — 50% drug rate, 10% alcohol rate (as of 2024 — FMCSA reviews annually). Selection must be truly random (computer-based scientifically valid method). Driver must report immediately upon notification.
3. **Post-accident** (382.303) — Required if: (a) fatality, OR (b) bodily injury with immediate medical treatment away from the scene AND driver received citation, OR (c) disabling damage to any vehicle requiring tow AND driver received citation. Alcohol test within 8 hours, drug test within 32 hours.
4. **Reasonable suspicion** (382.307) — Trained supervisor observes signs/symptoms (appearance, behavior, speech, body odors). Must be documented in writing within 24 hours. Test must be conducted as soon as practicable.
5. **Return-to-duty** (382.309) — After any violation. Driver completes SAP process + negative RTD test before returning to safety-sensitive function.
6. **Follow-up** (382.311) — After RTD. SAP prescribes a follow-up schedule: minimum 6 tests in first 12 months; can extend up to 5 years.

## What's tested

**Drug panel — DOT 5-Panel:**
- Marijuana (THC)
- Cocaine
- Amphetamines (including methamphetamine + MDMA)
- Opioids (codeine, heroin, morphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, oxymorphone, 6-AM)
- Phencyclidine (PCP)

**Alcohol:** Breath test. Confirmation if initial ≥ 0.02 BAC.

Note: as of January 2018, opioids include hydrocodone/oxycodone (was previously only the natural opiates). MDMA was added in 2017.

## The MRO process (49 CFR 40 subpart G)

1. Lab tests specimen. If non-negative, lab sends to **Medical Review Officer (MRO)**.
2. MRO contacts the driver to discuss any legitimate medical explanation (prescription medications, etc.).
3. MRO verifies: positive (no legitimate explanation), negative, or "cancelled."
4. MRO reports to designated employer representative (DER).
5. If positive, driver has 72 hours to request a split-specimen retest. Same lab tests "Bottle B" of the original sample.

## Refusal to test (49 CFR 40.191)

A refusal is treated as a verified positive. Refusals include:

- Failure to appear within a reasonable time
- Failure to provide a urine specimen
- Failure to provide enough urine (without medical explanation)
- Failure to permit the observed collection (when required)
- Tampering or substituting the specimen
- Adulterating the specimen (lab finds non-physiological contents)
- Refusing to undergo a medical evaluation when shy-bladder rule triggers
- Failure to remain at testing site until process is complete

A **refused test = same consequence as a positive test.** Driver is "prohibited" and must complete the SAP process.

## SAP / Return-to-duty process (49 CFR 40 subpart O)

After ANY violation (positive, refusal, alcohol ≥ 0.04, alcohol use while on duty, etc.):

1. **Immediate removal** from safety-sensitive function.
2. Carrier provides driver with list of qualified **Substance Abuse Professionals (SAPs)**.
3. Driver pays for + attends SAP evaluation.
4. SAP prescribes a treatment / education plan.
5. Driver completes the plan.
6. SAP conducts re-evaluation; if successful, driver is cleared for RTD.
7. Driver passes a **return-to-duty test** (drug AND/OR alcohol, as applicable, OBSERVED collection).
8. Driver returns to safety-sensitive function.
9. SAP prescribes follow-up testing schedule (min 6 tests over 12 months; up to 5 years total).

**Critical:** A driver who hasn't completed SAP + RTD test CANNOT be hired by any DOT-regulated carrier. The FMCSA Clearinghouse enforces this.

## FMCSA Clearinghouse (49 CFR 382.701)

Effective January 2020, ALL DOT D&A test violations are reported to the Clearinghouse, and ALL employers must:

- **Pre-employment Full Query:** Before hiring. $1.25 per query.
- **Annual Limited Query:** At least once every 12 months on every active CDL driver. $1.25 per query. Limited query requires only one-time consent.

Full Query requires per-instance driver consent. Limited Query only requires a single blanket consent (typically signed at hire).

If a query reveals a "prohibited" status, the driver cannot operate a CMV until Clearinghouse shows them as "not prohibited" (i.e., completed RTD process).

## Random testing math

Annual random rate is 50% drug / 10% alcohol of the average driver count.

A carrier with 25 average drivers will run, on a random selection basis:
- 25 × 50% = ~12-13 drug tests/year
- 25 × 10% = ~2-3 alcohol tests/year

These must be **spread out** across the year (no quarterly batching). Most carriers use a TPA to handle random selection + scheduling.

## Post-accident decision tree

The "DOT-recordable accident" trigger for post-accident testing:

```
Did the accident involve:
  ├── Fatality? → TEST (alcohol within 8h, drug within 32h)
  ├── Bodily injury treated away from scene?
  │     ├── Driver received citation? → TEST
  │     └── No citation? → NO TEST
  └── Disabling damage requiring tow?
        ├── Driver received citation? → TEST
        └── No citation? → NO TEST
```

If the carrier cannot collect the alcohol test within 8 hours, document the reason. Cannot collect drug test within 32 hours? Document.

## Carrier responsibilities

- Maintain D&A program OR contract with a TPA/consortium.
- Train supervisors on reasonable-suspicion signs (60 minutes on drugs + 60 minutes on alcohol; refresher every 2 years recommended).
- Maintain test records separately from DQF (D&A file is access-controlled).
- Report annual statistics to FMCSA via MIS (Management Information System) if requested.
- Query Clearinghouse pre-employment (Full) + annually (Limited).
- Report all violations to Clearinghouse within 3 business days.

## Common mistakes

1. **Pre-employment FULL query missed** — required to be Full (with per-instance consent), not Limited. Many carriers do Limited by mistake and that's a violation.
2. **Annual Limited query missed** — must be performed at least once every 12 months from the prior query (NOT from hire date).
3. **Random selection skipped/postponed.** If a driver is unavailable (vacation, off duty), the carrier must test them as soon as practicable upon return — NOT skip them.
4. **Reasonable suspicion documented after the fact.** Must be documented within 24 hours by the supervisor who observed; reasonable suspicion test must be conducted as soon as practicable.
5. **Carrier acts on lab result without MRO verification.** Always wait for MRO. Lab results alone don't trigger consequences.
6. **Letting a "prohibited" driver work pending SAP.** Once in the Clearinghouse as prohibited, the driver CANNOT perform any safety-sensitive function until completing RTD. No exceptions.

## Where this fits in X3

X3's `da-tests.html` page tracks D&A test orders, results, and the driver's prohibited status. `agent-csa-monitor` cross-references with Clearinghouse status changes. When a test result comes back positive, `vendor-result-webhook` fires `send-compliance-notification` with severity=critical.


---

<!-- x3-compass-attribution-v1 -->
## Built by X3 Compass

The AI-powered DOT compliance platform for fleets 1–100 power units. Try a 7-day free trial — no credit card required — at https://x3compass.com/?utm_source=skill&utm_medium=github&utm_campaign=drug-and-alcohol-testing

X3 Compass turns these skills into a complete operational platform: driver qualification files, drug & alcohol consortium, MVR pulls, hours-of-service tracking, hazmat shipping, IFTA filing, FMCSA audit prep, and DataQ dispute drafting — all CFR-cited, all in one place.

*This skill is published under the X3 Compass open skills initiative. Contributions welcome at https://github.com/x3fleetsafety/skills*