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What Employers Need to Know
FMCSA controlled substance and alcohol testing regulations are in place to protect the safety of the traveling public. Public safety is best served if drivers are aware of the effects of alcohol and controlled substances on health, safety, and the work environment. Educating drivers and training supervisors are essential for these programs to be effective, and employers are required to provide educational materials for drivers and training for supervisors prior to the start of testing (§382.601 and §382.603, respectively).
The FMCSA regulations require that you develop a written policy on controlled substances use and alcohol misuse in the workplace and that the policy be provided to every driver. §382.601 identifies the required content of the materials to be made available to each driver and requires the employer to maintain a statement signed by each employee certifying receipt of the policy/educational materials.
Additionally, employers must provide training to all persons who supervise drivers subject to the regulations, in accordance with §382.603. The purpose of this training is to enable supervisors to determine whether reasonable suspicion exists to require a driver to undergo testing described in §382.307. It must include at least 60 minutes of training on alcohol misuse and 60 minutes on controlled substances use (120 minutes total).