The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) has updated the "What Employers Need to Know About DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing" guidelines, also known as the 'Employer Handbook'.

The handbook was last updated in 2015. It contains reference materials and policies for employers to use in implementing their drug and alcohol testing programs under DOT regulations, including programs required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The current revisions include:

• Added information about FMCSA-regulated owner-operators;

• Updated the table of covered/regulated employees;

• Added language to clarify that supervisors and service agents should know the difference between DOT and non-DOT testing forms;

• Added language clarifying what "random" means;

• Clarified that service agents do not make refusal determinations at collection sites;

• Clarified Designated Employer Representative responsibilities for refusals at collection sites; and

• Added language to clarify that C/TPAs are also service agents.

The Employer Handbook is a companion to DOT's other publications:

• What Employers Need to Know About Monitoring Collection Sites

• What Employees Need to Know About DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing