Do you have enough random drug and alcohol tests for the year?

As a motor carriers required under federal regulations to have a random drug and alcohol testing program your program must meet the mandated minimum amount of random testing required.

So how much testing is your company or organization required to do?

The answer to that depends on several factors including the type of random pool your drivers are in, whether we’re talking random drug testing or random alcohol testing, and the federally set minimum amounts of testing allowed for each.

Two types of DOT random selection pools:

The first type of random selection pool your drivers may be in is a “Consortium” pool. These are pools run by Consortium/Third Party Administrators (C/TPAs). Consortium pools are typically made up of drivers from multiple companies and the random selections amounts are determined based on the total amount of drivers in the pool from all companies not just yours.

The second type of random selection pool is one that is made up of drivers that are only from your own company. In that type of pool the random selections amounts are determined based only on the amount of drivers in your company alone.

DOT Random drug testing amount requirements

Both types of pools must complete enough random drug tests equal to or greater than 25% of the average number of drivers in the pool and enough random alcohol tests equal to or greater than 10% of the average number of drivers in the pool. If the number of tests required comes out to a fraction then the amount done must be rounded up.

Examples of random selection amounts requirements

So if a pool has an average of 100 drivers in it, then it must complete 25 random drug tests and 10 random alcohol tests during the calendar year. That means if you have your own pool of 100 drivers you must complete 25 random drug tests and 10 random alcohol tests with your own employees.

If your drivers are in a consortium pool (drivers from more than one company) with an average of 100 drivers then the administrator of the pool must ensure that 25 random drug tests and 10 random alcohol tests are completed by the end of the calendar year.

So how many random drug and alcohol tests does your company need to complete when your drivers are in a consortium pool?

If your drivers are in a consortium pool in can vary greatly from year to year. The DOT requires that each time a selection is done every driver in the pool must be eligible to be selected. So it’s possible to have a driver or drivers selected out of a pool multiple times in a calendar year.

There's no guaranteeing or predicting how many times an individual driver will be selected or if they are selected at all. One driver in a pool may miss being selected for a period or a whole year while others are selected once, twice, or even possibly every time in a true random selection system.

If your drivers are in your own pool, then to determine how many random drug and alcohol tests you need to complete you can follow this formula:

How many random drug tests required:

Step 1:  Average number of employees in your pool  ________

Step 2:  Multiply that number X 25%  _____________ (rounded up)

This determines the required amount of random drug tests that must be completed by the end of the year.                          

How many random alcohol tests required:

Step 1:  Average number of employees in your pool  ________

Step 2:  Multiply that number X 10%  _____________ (rounded up)

This determines the required amount of random alcohol tests that must be completed by the end of the year.                          

This is something you should pay close attention to as any failure in the amount competed will be a violation of the rules and could result in fines or even being shut down in some circumstances.

Mydrugtestingprogram.com carefully monitors our DOT compliance consortium pools as well as our clients with their own pools to ensure the proper amount of DOT random testing is completed each year.