Last updated : November 11, 2024
Individuals who work in the transportation industry bear tremendous responsibilities. The Department of Transportation requires drug testing to ensure that employees are qualified to work in mass transit, trucking, aviation and other related industries.
The Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy sets the standards for testing transportation professionals for any illegal drug use and excessive consumption of alcohol. Potential employees are subject to DOT drug test before applying for a job. Employed individuals can be tested at random or due to reasonable suspicion. Additionally, post-accident and return-to-duty drug tests are also conducted.
The most common way to test transportation employees for drugs is to collect a sample or urine. A urine specimen collector follows strict protocols to make sure that the individual being tested actually provides the sample. A secure enclosed room is chosen for the urine collection site and all containers with fluids are removed. In the presence of the employee who gave the urine sample, the specimen collector pours the collected urine into two different bottles, labeled “A” and “B.”
A urine sample is used to check the presence of more than a dozen different drug categories. Cocaine, Opiates and Marijuana are some of the most common illegal narcotics that are checked for by the DOT. The drug tests also check for the presence of potent prescription medication such as benzodiazepines and oxycodone.
An official laboratory conducts the drug tests for the DOT. The results based on the urine specimen in bottle “A” can be disputed by the tested employee. Requests can be made to have bottle “B” sent out to a different lab to analyze the urine samples.
Oral tests and hair samples are sometimes used to test transportation employees for drugs and alcohol. However, these methods don’t provide as much accuracy as traditional urine sample collection.
