What the DOT Urine Collector does

This is the first in a series of blog posts at mydrugtestingprogram.com where we’ll be discussing the roles of each of the Service Agents (SAs) that help you adminsiter your required DOT drug and alcohol testing program.

Today we’ll be covering the role of the person working at a collection site that takes your employee through the steps to conduct a urine collection for a DOT drug screen.

The DOT requires that urine drug screen collectors “...must receive qualification training...” The collectors must be trained by a “trainer” who meets the qualifications also outlined by the FMCSA regulations.

The collector training includes:

1. The steps required to properly conduct a DOT urine collection.
2. How to direct an employee in the process.
3. How to fill out and transmit the special collection forms called control and custody forms (CCFs).
4. How to handle various problems that come up during collection such as when the employee can’t go (or not enough) called a “shy bladder.”
5. What to do if an employee attempts to tamper with a urine specimen.
6. What “Flaws” or errors in the process are correctable and which aren't.
7. How to correct flaws in the collection process.
8. What their responsibility is for the privacy of employees being tested.
9. The “chain of custody” process to ensuring the security of the specimen

There are also requirements about the physical setting for a DOT urine drug screen collection beginning with cutting off employee access to water in the collection area to make it harder for an employee who might try to tamper with a specimen. They are also trained to not allow employees to wear jackets or outer clothing that could be used to conceal equipment used to substitute urine to cheat on on a drug test.

In the past the DOT regulations were far less demanding in regards to collector training which led to a lot of errors and problems in testing. In 2005 the DOT got much more demanding about requiring collectors to be properly trained and documented as such.

This is one of the reasons mydrugtestingprogram.com generally doesnt recommend motor carriers trying to do any in-house self collections as it requires a lot of training and dramatically increases their liability by taking on the collector role.

There’s a lot to know about the DOT drug screen urine collection process to get it right and a lot of liability risk if it’s not done right so it best left in the hands of those who’ve been properly trained and are paid to take on those responsibilities.

If you would like to know more about it you can check out the DOT web site covering it here: https://www.transportation.gov/odapc/part40/40_33

Mydrugtestingprogram.com helps our clients find and use a local collection site with properly trained urine collectors from their chopice of over 10,000 sites nationwide.