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Reasonable Suspicion Supervisor Training

Reasonable Suspicion Supervisor Training

HR managers -Is your organization regulated by the Department of Transportation? If yes then we’ll show you how to quickly fulfill this often overlooked DOT training requirement for your supervisors whether you have one, two or hundreds of supervisors.

Who needs this training and how often does DOT require it be taken?

Any supervisor or employee who has the ability to initiate a reasonable suspicion drug or alcohol test and is covered under any of the Department of Transportation agencies FMCSA, FAA, FTA, USCG, PHMSA.

See regulatory requirements for all DOT modes here.

Is athandtraining.com online training DOT compliant?

Yes. Thousands of companies utilize online training every year to fulfill the 60 minutes drug and 60 minutes alcohol reasonable suspicion supervisor training requirements for FMCSA (trucking) , FAA (aviation), FTA (transportation), USCG, PHMSA (pipeline). See the CFR regulations here.

Why online?

In person training sessions are nice but they can be expensive and hard to coordinate with trainer and employee schedules, or maybe you just need to ensure one or two employees are trained as part of their onboarding process. DVD video courses are typically outdated, poorly produced and just might put your employees into a comatose state. Employees are more likely to surf their smart phone than engage with a video. AtHandTraining’s online course can only be completed if your supervisors are engaged with the content and pass quizzes ensuring they understand the important concepts.

Top 6 benefits of using AtHandTraining’s online course:

#1. Ensure DOT compliance for 60/60 drug and alcohol reasonable suspicion training. Certificates can be generated and training records are stored online.

#2. Employees can access it from anywhere, anytime with any device: iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet, PC, MAC- whatever, we have you covered.

#3. Course material updated yearly – new statistics, new drugs, new photos.

#4. Supervisors are quizzed along the way ensuring a basic level of understanding of the key concepts

#5. Administrator access to employee reports

#6. It’s available right now!

Bonus #7. No clip art. Nothing says “made in 1982” like a nice piece of clip art.

Other online courses run anywhere from $45-$79. Why is AtHandTraining’s course only $35 (or less if I buy 50 or more?)

Many other providers are piggy backing off of some other learning management system’s (“LMS”) software and must give a kick back to the LMS providers for every course taken. AtHandTraining manages our own system. We simply skipped the middleman.

dot supervisor training online

 

Purchase and access training right now!

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Click Here To Buy DOT Supervisor Course – $35 or less!

Click Here To Buy DOT Employee Drug Awareness Course – $10 or less!

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Course topics – DOT reasonable suspicion supervisor training 

Intro: The Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 | Reasonable suspicion training requirements (Regulations overview) | Record keeping | Course learning objectives

The Big Picture: The effects of substance abuse on society | The effects of substance abuse on the individual and family | The effects of substance abuse in the workplace

Drug Testing: The drug testing process & safeguards | Substance Abuse Professionals | DOT substance testing | Detection times | Refusals

Alcohol Testing:  The alcohol testing process | Evidential breath tests (EBTs) | Breath Alcohol content (BAC)

Drug Classifications & Effects of Use: Depressants | Stimulants | Hallucinogens | Other drugs of abuse (K2/Spice, Bath Salts, etc.)

The Supervisors Role:  Role overview | Confidentiality | Reasonable suspicion testing | Specific, Contemporaneous, articulable definitions w/examples

Common Use Indicators: Identifying abusers | Stereotyping | Physical symptoms | Behavioral  symptoms | Mental symptoms | Job performance | Drug paraphernalia

Intervention: Crisis vs. performance scenarios | Documentation | Enabling | Confrontation and interview | Dos and don’ts | Transportation to the collection site

Athandtraining.com DOT Reasonable Suspicion Supervisor Training fulfills:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – 49CFR Part 382.603

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – 14 CFR Part 121 Append I & J

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) – 49 CFR 655

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety administration (PHMSA)

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) – §16.250   Reasonable cause testing requirements

 

Pre-Duty Alcohol Use – DOT Regulated Alcohol Testing

Pre-Duty Alcohol Use – DOT Regulated Alcohol Testing

truck driver drinking

Just a quick reminder about an often overlooked D.O.T. regulation regarding the use of alcohol prior to performing safety sensitive duties in the workplace.

For organizations subject to federal regulations (Drug/Alcohol Drug Free Workplace programs). The D.O.T. prohibits employees from performing safety sensitive duties when they consumed alcohol in any form as per the following schedule:

FMCSA: 4 hours after using alcohol

FAA: FAA prohibits alcohol use 8 hours prior to performance of flight crew member duties, flight attendant duties and air traffic controller duties and 4 hours prior to performing other duties.

FTA: 4 hours after using alcohol

PHMSA: Prohibits alcohol use 4 hours prior to performance of duty.

USCG: The USCG prohibits alcohol use 4 hours prior to performance of scheduled duty.

Employers who are aware that an employee has consumed alcohol within the prohibited time frame and still allow the employee to perform their safety sensitive function are in violation of federal regulations. 

Beverages containing alcohol are widely advertised, inexpensive, and readily available. They are often sold at liquor stores, gas stations, grocery stores, and similar retail establishments. Drinking alcohol is widely accepted in the U.S. Beverages containing alcohol are frequently served at meals, social gatherings, sporting events, and celebrations. It’s easy to see how employees and employers may forget the nuances of their federal alcohol testing program. Now is as good of time as any to remind employees about these restrictions.

 

Sources: Dept of Transportation

 

 

 

FMCSA Establishes National Drug and Alcohol Testing Clearinghouse for Commercial Truck and Bus Drivers

Click Here To Buy DOT Supervisor Course – $35 or less!

Click Here To Buy DOT Employee Drug Awareness Course – $10 or less!

 

FMCSA Establishes National Drug and Alcohol Testing Clearinghouse for Commercial Truck and Bus Drivers

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced a final rule that establishes a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse for commercial truck and bus drivers.  The clearinghouse database will serve as a central repository containing records of violations of FMCSA’s drug and alcohol testing program by commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders.

“An overwhelming majority of the nation’s freight travels by truck, and millions of passengers reach their destinations by bus, so creating a central, comprehensive, and searchable database of commercial motor vehicle drivers who violate federal drug and alcohol testing requirements has been a departmental priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.  “This system will be a new technological tool that will make our roads safer.”

Once the clearinghouse is established, motor carrier employers will be required to query the system for information concerning current or prospective employees who have unresolved violations of the federal drug and alcohol testing regulations that prohibit them from operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV).  It also requires employers and medical review officers to report drug and alcohol testing program violations.

The drug and alcohol clearinghouse final rule annual net benefits are an estimated $42 million, with crash reductions resulting from annual and pre-employment queries by FMCSA-regulated motor carriers.

“This is a major safety win for the general public and the entire commercial motor vehicle industry,” said FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling.  “The clearinghouse will allow carriers across the country to identify current and prospective drivers who have tested positive for drugs or alcohol, and employ those who drive drug- and alcohol-free.  Drivers who test positive for drugs or alcohol will no longer be able to conceal those test results from employers and continue to drive while posing a safety risk to the driving public.”

The final rule requires motor carriers, medical review officers, third-party administrators, and substance abuse professionals to report information about drivers who:

  • Test positive for drugs or alcohol;
  • Refuse drug and alcohol testing; and
  • Undergo the return-to-duty drug and alcohol rehabilitation process.

Additionally, motor carriers will be required to annually search the clearinghouse for current employees, and during the pre-employment process for prospective employees, to determine whether a driver violated drug or alcohol testing requirements with a different employer that would prohibit them from operating a CMV.

Federal safety regulations require employers to conduct pre-employment drug testing and random drug and alcohol testing.  Motor carriers are prohibited from allowing employees to perform safety-sensitive functions, which include operating a CMV, if the employee tests positive on a DOT drug or alcohol test.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a), a driver must grant consent before an employer can request access to that driver’s clearinghouse record and before FMCSA can release the driver’s clearinghouse record to an employer.   After registering with the clearinghouse a driver can review his or her information at no cost.

Congress directed FMCSA to establish a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse as mandated by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

The national drug and alcohol clearinghouse Final Rule goes into effect in January 2020, three years after its effective date.

To view the drug and alcohol clearinghouse Final Rule, click this link.

To learn more about the drug and alcohol clearinghouse, click on this link.