Tips For Stay Compliant With DOT's Drug And Alcohol Regulations For Trucking Companies

As the owner of a trucking company, you will need to make sure that you are doing all that you can in order to keep up with the DOT compliance regulations regarding drug and alcohol use. After all, those trucks can cause serious damage, and even the death of others on the road, if one of your drivers is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Drivers Must Be Given Random Testing

You need to have two separate pools for drug and alcohol testing at your company. The non-drivers will be in one pool for testing and the drivers will be in another. This is to make sure that there is always a driver being tested whenever it is time to do so. You may conduct monthly drug and alcohol screenings, but weekly would be even better. You do not want anyone to slip through the cracks and get behind the wheel of a company vehicle while intoxicated.

Mix Up The Testing Days

You do not want to test every Monday, for example, as that gives your drivers time to try to detox their system or to try to use a product that masks the traces of drugs or alcohol. Also, when you do announce that it is time for testing, you will want to send the chosen employee for it right away, even if that means you are sending them to a testing facility during their shift or you are testing them on the spot. This ensures that they do not have any time to try to cheat the system, such as using urine from someone else.

Refer Those Who Fail To An Approved Substance Abuse Program

If you have a driver that fails one of the random tests, you will need to immediately remove him or her from their driving duties. You will then want to refer them to an approved substance abuse program in order to give them a chance to get the help that they need. Upon successful completion of the program and clean urine results, they can return to work.

With all of this in mind, you should find that it is going to be a lot easier for you to make sure that you are staying in line with the DOT compliance regulations. The more proactive you are with this, the safer everyone will be on the road, and the less likely your company will get fined for non-compliance.