PPP-65 DOT Rules of the Road - Purdue Pesticide Programs ...

Drug Testing
If you employ drivers who are required to hold CDL or AgCDL licenses,
you are required by DOT to implement a drug and alcohol testing program.
Prospective drivers with CDL or AgCDL licenses must be tested before
they are hired; once hired, all employees with CDL or AgCDL licenses are
subject to random testing. Testing also may be required under “reasonable
suspicion” (if an employer suspects a driver of substance abuse) or “post
accident” (if the driver is involved in an accident) situations.
If a driver has a CDL license but does not drive a commercial motor vehicle
that requires it, he or she is not subject to the random controlled substance
and alcohol testing.
Current DOT regulations mandate that at least 50 percent of a companyʼs
CDL drivers be randomly tested (annually) for controlled substances, and at
least 10 percent must be tested for alcohol.
Some small companies join a “driver pool,” which is a consortium of multiple
companies managed by a third party administrator. Drivers are randomly se-
lected from the pool, the tests are administered, and the third party arranges
consultations with drivers and employers as required by DOT regulations.
Driver Qualification Files
The DOT requires you to maintain driver qualification files for each of
your drivers. These files can be kept separately or combined with each
driverʼs personnel file. The driver
- 41 -
qualification file must be main-
tained as long as you employ
the driver and for three years
thereafter.
Driver