We have good news and bad news about the newly-published Final Rule recently announced by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) relating to oral fluid testing for safety-sensitive (“covered”) workers. The Good News Effective June 1, 2023, under the DOT’s mandated testing program, found in 49 CFR Part 40, the addition of oral fluid […]
Read MoreThe Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the effective date of regulations allowing oral fluid specimens to be used for federal drug tests. Under the DOT’s mandated testing program, found in 49 CFR Part 40, the addition of oral fluids is effective June 1, 2023. (Note: The correct term for the bodily fluid used in drug testing regulations is ‘oral fluid’; however, we often notice people referring to it is “saliva testing”. Saliva is just one of the components that make up oral fluid.) The new rules require specific training for any person who will be conducting oral fluid collections for DOT drug tests. No currently-trained urine specimen collectors will be ‘grandfathered in’ or anything of the sorts. Basically, anyone wishing to become trained as an oral fluid specimen collector must participate in compliant training that meets the regulatory requirements. Oral fluid (O.F.) collector training is a little more complicated than urine specimen collector training, due to the requirement that O.F. specimen collectors need to be trained on the specific oral fluid collection device(s) they will use in the real world. There is no “one size fits all” for O.F. collector training, as there is with urine specimen collector training.
Read More