| Department of Transportation (DOT) Alcohol and Drug Testing
The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 requires
drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive transportation employees
in aviation, trucking, railroads, mass transit, pipelines and
other transportation industries. DOT publishes rules on who must
conduct drug and alcohol tests, how to conduct those tests and
what procedures to use when testing. These regulations cover all
transportation employers, safety-sensitive transportation employees
and service agents -roughly 12.1 million people.
www.dot.gov/ost/dapc/
IF you test positive, refuse a test or violate DOT
alcohol and drug rules:
A supervisor or company official will immediately remove you
from DOT-regulated safety-sensitive functions.
You will not be permitted to return to performing DOT regulated
safety-sensitive duties until you have:
- Undergone an evaluation by a Substance Abuse Professional
(SAP)
- Successfully completed any education, counseling or treatment
prescribed by the SAP prior to returning to service;
- Provided a negative test result for drugs and a breath
test less than 0.02 of alcohol.
Upon return to a safety-sensitive job,
you will be subject to unannounced testing for drugs and/or alcohol
no less than 6 times during the first 12 months of active service
with the possibility of unannounced testing for up to 60 months,
as prescribed by the SAP.
What are SAPs?
Under DOT regulations, SAPs are Substance Abuse
Professionals. They play a critical role in the work place testing
program by professionally evaluating employees who have violated
DOT drug & Alcohol
rules. SAPs recommend appropriate education, treatment, follow-up
tests, and aftercare. They are the gate-keepers to the re-entry
program by determining when a safety-sensitive employee can be
returned to duty.
How do I find a SAP?
There are several resources to finding a SAP. If you violate
a DOT drug or alcohol rule, your employer is required to provide
you with a list of SAP names, addresses and phone numbers that
are available to you and acceptable to them. You can also search
then internet or check your yellow pages for any SAP listings.
National Association of Addiction Professionals list of SAPs in
Texas
http://naadac.org/sap/list.php?StateID=TX |