DOT Drug Testing done to the letter of Part 40.
What a compliant DOT drug test actually requires
A DOT drug test is not a lab result. It is a documented chain of events — a valid reason for testing, a certified collector, an unbroken chain-of-custody form, a SAMHSA-certified laboratory, a qualified Medical Review Officer, and a record you can produce years later when an investigator asks for it. Break any link and the test does not count, no matter what the lab reported.
That is the part most carriers get wrong. We have seen fleets with a clean testing history fail an audit because the CCF copies were never retained, or because a supervisor ordered a "random" test on a hunch. IPS Drug Testing exists to make sure every link holds.
Which agency rules apply to you
Part 40 is the procedural rulebook shared by every DOT agency. Your operating rule — who gets tested, how often, and what happens after a violation — comes from your modal agency:
| Agency | Who it covers | Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| FMCSA | CDL drivers of commercial motor vehicles | 49 CFR Part 382 |
| FAA | Aviation safety-sensitive employees | 14 CFR Part 120 |
| FTA | Public transit safety-sensitive employees | 49 CFR Part 655 |
| PHMSA | Pipeline operations, maintenance, emergency response | 49 CFR Part 199 |
| USCG | Crewmembers on inspected vessels | 46 CFR Part 16 |
IPS administers testing programs under all five. If you run a mixed operation — a trucking fleet with a pipeline division, or transit with a maintenance arm — you get one administrator, one portal and one point of contact instead of three vendors who each blame the others.
The six DOT testing reasons
Under DOT rules you may only test for a listed reason, and each one has its own documentation trail:
- Pre-employment — a verified negative before the employee first performs a safety-sensitive function.
- Random — unannounced selections spread reasonably through the year from a scientifically valid random pool.
- Post-accident — alcohol testing within 8 hours and drug testing within 32 hours when the accident meets the criteria.
- Reasonable suspicion — ordered by a supervisor trained in the required 60 minutes of drug and alcohol signs and symptoms, based on contemporaneous observation.
- Return-to-duty — directly observed, only after a Substance Abuse Professional releases the employee.
- Follow-up — a confidential SAP-directed schedule of at least six directly observed tests in the first 12 months.
Common finding: testing an employee for a reason not permitted by the DOT — or under DOT authority when the employee is not in a safety-sensitive role — is itself a violation. When in doubt, call us before you send the driver. It costs nothing to ask.
What is on the DOT panel
The federal panel is a five-class urine test screened by immunoassay and confirmed by GC/MS or LC-MS/MS on every non-negative:
- Marijuana metabolites (THCA) — and no, a state medical or recreational card is not a valid medical explanation under DOT rules.
- Cocaine metabolites
- Opioids — codeine, morphine, heroin metabolite (6-AM), hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone and oxymorphone.
- Amphetamines — amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA and MDA.
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
How fast you actually get results
A straightforward negative is typically MRO-verified and posted to your portal within 24 hours of the specimen reaching the lab, and non-negatives within 24–48 hours once the MRO has completed the donor interview. You are notified the moment a result lands — you never have to call and ask.
For pre-employment testing, that difference is money. A driver who sits idle for four days waiting on a result is a driver your competitor is hiring.
Start a DOT testing program
Everything a DOT program needs —
in one place
Electronic chain of custody
1500+ collection sites
SAMHSA-certified laboratories
In-house MRO review
Clearinghouse reporting
Audit-ready recordkeeping
DOT Drug Testing — your questions
No. DOT drug testing must be performed at a SAMHSA-certified laboratory using the prescribed screening and confirmation methods. Instant or point-of-collection devices may only be used for non-DOT programs. We run those too — see Non-DOT drug testing.
Still have a question? Call 248-526-9000 or send us a message.
Services that pair with this one
Random Consortium
Pre-Employment
Medical Review Officer
