DOT Drug and Alcohol Program
There are two Department of Transportation (DOT)-regulated Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs for University of Minnesota drivers:
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations: Involves the majority of University drivers, mechanics, and dispatchers.
- Federal Transit Authority (FTA) regulations: Involves only paratransit drivers, mechanics, and dispatchers.
How to Add a New Driver
The University is required by law to enroll employees with certain responsibilities in a drug and alcohol testing pool. Those responsibilities include the requirement to carry a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), as well as driving a vehicle that meets any of the following qualifications:
- A gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 or more lbs., or
- The capacity to carry 16 or more passengers—including the driver, or
- Any size that is used to transport hazardous material that require the vehicle to placarded
Supervisors should contact Occupational Health, at uohs@umn.edu or (612) 626-5008 to add employees and schedule a pre-employment drug test. Supervisors must also ensure that applicants/new employees fill out the paperwork below.
Required Forms and Information
New hires and current employees of the University whose job duties change to include driving functions for a DOT-covered position at the University must submit the following paperwork to University Health and Safety–Occupational Health (UHS-OH) before beginning safety-sensitive functions. Such functions include (but are not limited to) waiting to be dispatched, inspecting or servicing any commercial motor vehicle, and loading or unloading a vehicle.
- Doctor's Authorization to Operate a Commercial Motor Vehicle While Using a Controlled Substance: If the applicant or employee has been prescribed a controlled substance, a doctor must complete this form. If the applicant/employee is not currently taking any prescription drugs, he or she must complete the bottom part of the form only.
- Information for Applicants for DOT-Covered Positions: Federal law requires applicants/employees to indicate whether they have previously refused to be tested or received a positive test result on any pre-employment test for any other DOT employer.
- Release of Information: Authorizes the release of an applicant's/employee's DOT testing records from a previous employer to the University.
Policy
Additionally, drivers must be provided with a copy of the policy pertinent to their position:
- University Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy for FMCSA-Covered Employees:
Applicants/employees must sign the second page of the policy to acknowledge that they have received the policy. - University Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy for FTA-covered Employees:
For para-transit drivers. Applicants/employees must sign the last page of the policy to acknowledge that they have received the policy.
For further questions about the University's Drug and Alcohol Testing Program, contact Occupational Health at uohs@umn.edu or (612) 626-5008.
Accident Procedures
According to the DOT, a driver involved in an accident is responsible for deciding whether or not a post-accident drug and alcohol test is required. Download the accident procedure guidelines below.
Accident Procedure Guidelines for FMCSA Covered Drivers
Accident Procedure Guidelines for FTA Covered Drivers
Reasonable Suspicion Testing
The University requires an employee to submit to "reasonable suspicion" drug and/or alcohol testing when a supervisor has reason to believe that an employee has engaged in prohibited conduct. Only a supervisor or University official trained in compliance with FMCSA rules and regulations can determine that an employee should be tested.
Reasonable suspicion means a belief that a driver has violated alcohol or controlled substances prohibitions, based on specific, contemporaneous, documentable observations concerning the appearance, behavior, speech, or body odors of that driver. In the case of controlled substances, the observations may include indicators of the chronic and withdrawal effects of controlled substances.