The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is sending letters to DOT-regulated motor carriers asking for a summary of their drug and alcohol testing program. According to the letter, carriers who did not respond by the deadline, or who didn’t reply with the correct information, face fines of up to $1,239 per day.
Related: A Fully-Compliant, Digital Recordkeeping Solution is No Longer Optional
What DOT Drug Testing Information is Being Requested?
The FMCSA is requesting both drug and alcohol testing data for calendar year 2020, including the total number of tests conducted, the verified number of negative (and positive) results, the number of test refusals (and the reason why) as well as the number of canceled tests. Employers must provide this data broken down by the type of test conducted:
- Pre-employment
- Random
- Post-Accident
- Reasonable Suspicion
- Return-to Duty
- Follow-up
In addition, the FMCSA wants information on how many of the positive drug test were due to marijuana, cocaine, PCP, opiate or amphetamine use.
What DOT Alcohol Testing Information is Being Requested?
Employers must provide a breakdown of their DOT alcohol testing data, as well. This includes the total number of alcohol screens conducted, as well as the number of alcohol tests with results below or greater than 0.02. The FMCSA also wants to see the number of alcohol test refusals, as well as the reason why (shy lung, for example). Again, this information must be broken down by the type of alcohol test conducted:
- Pre-employment
- Random
- Post-Accident
- Reasonable Suspicion
- Return-to Duty
- Follow-up
Related: Are Your Files DOT Audit Proof?
How Must This Drug & Alcohol Testing Information be Sent to the FMCSA?
The FMCSA is requesting that all information be submitted electronically through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System (MIS). In the letter you’ll receive from the FMCSA, there will be a link to the online portal, as well as a unique username and password to login.
This is just another step by the DOT towards a fully electronic auditing process, making it even more important that motor carriers adopt a digital compliance solution. Those carriers who aren’t currently able to provide the requested data online must formally request a paper document and send it back before the deadline (it’s important to note that no additional time is given for this process).
How Often Does the FMCSA Request This Information?
The FMCSA randomly requests this information annually from motor carriers – in fact, the nation’s largest carriers can expect a letter each year. Because you never know when you’ll be selected, it’s critical that you both have a fully-compliant DOT drug and alcohol testing program in place, as well as a well-organized (and digital!) recordkeeping solution to manage all of your eCCFs and drug test results.
The collection of this information is important to the FMCSA, as they use it to determine the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse in the industry, as well as whether they need to revise the random drug and alcohol testing rates for the next year.
What if I Don’t Have a DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing Program in Place?
Reason #1: You’re Not Required to Participate
If you believe you received this DOT Notification in error, the letter does provide an email address you can contact with the reason you aren’t required to report your drug testing results to the FMCSA. This may be because your business has closed, your business doesn’t operate any vehicles that require a CDL, or because you qualify for an agricultural exemption.
When submitting this email, make sure you provide your DOT number, the name of your company and your mailing address.
Reason #2: You’re Not Compliant
However, if you should have a DOT testing program in place, but don’t, you’ll need to get one set up immediately. In the letter they sent out to carriers, the FMCSA recommends finding a consortium to get their DOT drug and alcohol testing program set up immediately. It’s important to point out that this must be a DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing consortium such as Foley.
In addition to getting the Consortium DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing program set up, you’ll need to email the FMCSA the following statement:
My company did not have a DOT Drug & Alcohol Program during the previous year and therefore has no MIS results to report out for 2020. Currently, I am in the process of getting my drivers in a consortium and/or implementing my own program to be in full compliance with FMCSA’s drug and alcohol testing regulations in 2021.
Need a DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing Consortium? Contact Foley!
Foley has been a leader in DOT drug & alcohol testing compliance for over two decades. We’ll enroll your drivers in our consortium for DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing, as well as manage all of their pre-employment, post-accident, return-to-duty and follow-up testing needs. And because our program is 100% digital, all of your annual recordkeeping data is securely stored in your online portal account – and can be easily accessed with just a click of a button when you receive a letter from the FMCSA.
To learn more about our DOT drug & alcohol testing consortium, please click here or give us a call at (800) 253-5506.
.png)