Medical Services

Get Your DOT Examination (Department of Transportation) $125

Do you need to get a DOT examination? This physical exam follows strict guidelines mandated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to ensure commercial drivers (CDL) are in good overall health to work safely.

Here’s what you need to bring to your DOT exam: medication regimen, prescription glasses (if needed), doctor’s names, and your clinic’s address. Driver is encouraged to complete a medical history questionnaire. Ensure you can urinate for the exam as well.

What is a DOT drug test?

It’s a drug test that’s regulated by the government – specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT).

In 1991, the U.S. Congress passed the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act when they recognized the need for a drug and alcohol-free transportation industry. The act required DOT agencies to implement drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive employees to maintain the safety of the traveling public and workers.

The DOT’s drug screening rules and procedures are listed within Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 40, commonly known as “Part 40.” These rules are published by an office within the DOT: the Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance (ODAPC).

DOT agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard write industry-specific regulations that explain who is subject to testing, when, and in what situations. Industry employers implement the regulations that apply to their business.

Who is required to get DOT drug tests?

Anyone designated in DOT regulations as a “safety-sensitive” employee is subject to DOT drug and alcohol testing. A safety-sensitive employee is someone who holds a job that can impact both their own safety and the safety of the public.

These are some of the DOT departments with safety-sensitive positions:

Federal Aviation Administration: Flight crews, flight attendants, aircraft dispatchers, ground security coordinators, etc.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holders who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs), vehicles that carry 16 passengers or more (including the driver), or vehicles that transport hazardous materials and are required to display a DOT placard.
U.S. Coast Guard: Crew members operating a commercial vessel.
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: Operations, maintenance, and emergency response workers.
Federal Railroad Administration: Hours of Service Act personnel, engine & train workers, signal service workers, or train dispatchers.
Federal Transit Administration: Vehicle operators, controllers, mechanics, and armed security.

What is the FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse?

A secure, online database that will give employers and other authorized users real-time information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders’ drug and alcohol program violations.
The Clearinghouse will improve safety on our Nation’s roadways by giving employers and their service agents access to information they need to make informed safety decisions about which employees must be removed from safety-sensitive functions, including operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV).

When must I use the Clearinghouse?

JANUARY 6, 2020: Authorized users are required
to complete the actions described in the Clearinghouse final rule. Employers are required
to conduct both electronic queries and traditional manual inquiries with previous employers to meet the three-year timeframe, required by FMCSA’s drug and alcohol use testing program, for checking CDL driver violation histories. Drivers may also view their own records for information recorded on or after January 6, 2020.

JANUARY 6, 2023: Once three years of violation data are stored in the Clearinghouse, employers are no longer required to also request information from the driver’s previous FMCSA-regulated employers under 391.23(e); an employer’s query of the Clearinghouse will satisfy that requirement.

How do I use the Clearinghouse?

EMPLOYERS
Report drug and alcohol violations and check that no current or prospective employee is prohibited from performing safety-sensitive functions, such as operating a CMV, due to a drug and alcohol program violation for which a driver has not successfully completed a return-to-duty (RTD) process.

CDL DRIVERS

View own record, provide consent to current or prospective employers to access details about any drug and alcohol program violations, and select a Substance Abuse Professional, if needed.
MEDICAL REVIEW OFFICERS
Report verified positive drug test results and test refusals.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROFESSIONALS
Report RTD initial assessment and eligibility status for RTD testing.
CONSORTIA/THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATORS
On behalf of an employer, report drug and alcohol program violations and perform driver queries as required.
STATE DRIVER LICENSING AGENCIES
Query the Clearinghouse prior to completing licensing transactions.

What types of drivers and employers does the Clearinghouse affect?

All CDL drivers who operate CMVs on public roads, and their employers and service agents. This includes, but is not limited to:
Interstate and intrastate
motor carriers, including passenger carriers
School bus drivers
Construction equipment operators Limousine drivers
Municipal vehicle drivers
(e.g., waste management vehicles)
Federal and other organizations that employ drivers subject to FMCSA drug and alcohol use testing regulations (e.g., Department of Defense, municipalities, school districts)

CONSORTIA/THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATORS (TPA) Services

$350 annually for companies with 5 employees or less
$500 annually for unlimited employees
$89 DOT urine services

How will C/TPAs use the Clearinghouse?

Beginning January 6, 2020, you
may complete the following actions in the Clearinghouse on behalf of your client(s):
• Report drug and alcohol violations.
This will include alcohol test results with a concentration of .04 or greater, refusals to take an alcohol or drug test, as well as actual knowledge of a violation.
• Employers or their C/TPAs will also report negative RTD results and successful completion of follow-up testing.
• The information above must be reported by the close of the third business day after the employer or C/TPA is informed.
• Conduct queries to check if prospective employees are prohibited from performing safety-sensitive functions, such as operating CMVs, due to an unresolved drug and alcohol program violation.
• All current employees must be queried at least annually. All queries require driver consent.
• Until January 6, 2023, conduct both electronic queries in the Clearinghouse and manual, offline inquiries to previous employers for pre-employment driver investigations.

Providing Consent

Drivers will be required to log into the Clearinghouse and provide electronic consent before a current or prospective employer can conduct a full query of the driver’s Clearinghouse record.
No specific timeframe for consenting to pre-employment or ad hoc full queries.
If a limited query returns that records were found, a full query must be conducted on the driver within 24 hours, or the driver must be removed from safety-sensitive functions.
Reporting Violations
Medical review officers (MROs) will be required to report verified positive, adulterated, or substituted controlled substances test results, as well as refusals to take a drug test.
Within two business days of the verification or determination.
Within one business day of making any change to the results report, MRO must report that changed result.
Reporting on RTD Progress
Substance abuse professionals (SAPs) will be required to report to the Clearinghouse when the initial assessment is completed and when the driver is determined to be eligible for RTD testing.
By the close of the business day following the date of the initial assessment.
By the close of the business day following the determination the driver is eligible for RTD testing.