Drug and Alcohol Policy Templates and Review
Every DOT-regulated employer needs a written drug and alcohol policy, and most non-DOT employers want one. Our customers get free DOT and non-DOT policy templates, and we review the policy you adopt to help make sure it covers what the rules require.
FMCSA requires each employer to give drivers written materials explaining the testing rules and the employer's policies, and to keep each driver's signed receipt (49 CFR 382.601). Our customers get free DOT and non-DOT templates and a review of the policy they adopt.
A drug and alcohol policy is usually the first thing an auditor asks for and the last thing anyone updated. It's often a copy of a copy, written for another company, missing a testing reason, or mixing DOT rules with company rules in a way that's hard to defend.
Templates for both kinds of program
We give our customers two templates, free:
- A DOT policy built around 49 CFR Part 382 and Part 40, with every item FMCSA requires drivers to receive
- A non-DOT policy for employees outside the DOT program, or for company rules that go beyond DOT, kept clearly separate from the federal requirements
We review the policy you adopt
Already have a policy, or adapted one of ours? Send it to us. We check it against the regulations and your actual program: who is covered, which tests you run, how random selection works, what happens after a refusal or a positive result. Then we tell you what's missing or out of date, so your policy covers your whole program and lines up with the rules.
Your policy, your decision
The employer adopts its own policy and stays responsible for it (49 CFR 40.15(c)). We provide the templates and the review; you make the decisions about your workforce. For state employment law questions on a non-DOT policy, talk to your employment attorney.
Part of the program
The templates and review come with our DOT drug testing consortium, non-DOT employer testing and owner-operator packages. Supervisors who make reasonable suspicion calls under your policy also need reasonable suspicion training.
Key Features
DOT Policy Template
Built on 49 CFR Part 382 and Part 40, with every item drivers must receive.
Non-DOT Policy Template
For employees and company rules outside the DOT program.
Policy Review
We check the policy you adopt and tell you what's missing.
Free for Customers
Included with our consortium, employer testing and owner-operator programs.
Compliance Requirements
Compliance Requirement
What a DOT policy must cover (49 CFR 382.601)
Each employer must give every driver written materials explaining the testing requirements and the employer's policies and procedures, including:
- The person who answers drivers' questions about the materials
- Which drivers are covered and which duties are safety-sensitive
- When drivers are subject to testing, and the prohibited conduct
- The circumstances for testing: pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty and follow-up
- The testing procedures, and that drivers must submit to testing
- What counts as a refusal, and its consequences
- The consequences of a violation, including removal from safety-sensitive duty and the return-to-duty process
- The consequences of an alcohol result of 0.02 to 0.039
- Information on the effects of alcohol and drugs, the signs of a problem, and available help
Signed receipt
Each driver signs a statement that they received the materials, and the employer keeps it (49 CFR 382.601(d)).
Company rules
An employer can add policies under its own authority, such as testing for more substances or more employees, but must clearly identify them as company policy, not DOT requirements.
How Diversified Helps
What you get
- A DOT drug and alcohol policy template built on 49 CFR Part 382 and Part 40
- A non-DOT policy template for employees and rules outside the DOT program
- A review of the policy you adopt, with a list of what's missing or out of date
- A driver acknowledgment form for each driver's signed receipt
- Answers when a situation comes up that your policy needs to handle
What it costs
The templates and policy review are free for our customers. Broader program reviews, such as preparing for a compliance review, are part of our compliance consultation at $150 an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. FMCSA requires each employer to give drivers written materials explaining the testing rules and the employer's policies and procedures, and to keep each driver's signed receipt (49 CFR 382.601). An auditor will ask to see both.
Yes, for our customers. The DOT and non-DOT templates and the policy review come with our consortium, employer testing and owner-operator programs.
It can, as long as the DOT requirements and your company rules are clearly separated, so no one confuses a company rule with a federal one. Many employers find two policies simpler, which is why we provide both templates.
Yes. Send it to us and we'll check it against the regulations and the way your program actually runs, then tell you what's missing or out of date.
We provide the templates, review the policy you adopt and help you adapt it to your operation. The policy is yours: you adopt it and stay responsible for it. For state employment law questions, talk to your employment attorney.
Whenever the rules or your program change, such as a new random testing rate, a change to Part 40, or adding a group of employees. We'll tell our customers when a federal change affects their policy.
Related Services
DOT Drug Testing Consortium (C/TPA)
Join our DOT drug testing consortium for $129 a year per company. As your Consortium/Third-Party Administrator (C/TPA), we run your random pool and selections, collect the tests, and keep the records, with our own collectors across Nebraska and Kansas.
DOT Pre-Employment Drug Testing
A new driver can't start safety-sensitive work until you have a verified negative pre-employment drug test (49 CFR 382.301). Test at our clinics in Lincoln, Beatrice or West Omaha, on-site with our own collectors, or at a partner site. $75 at our clinics, $95 on-site.
DOT Post-Accident Drug & Alcohol Testing
Accident? Call (402) 252-5144, 24/7. We help your DER decide whether a DOT test is required and send our own collector anywhere in Nebraska and Kansas, or a partner site elsewhere. Alcohol must be tested within 8 hours, drugs within 32 (49 CFR 382.303).
Get the templates, or send us your current policy.
Talk to our testing team about your drug and alcohol testing program.
- C/TPA Program Administration
- 24/7 Post-Accident Response
- 3,000+ Partner Collection Sites