What Is DOT Mandatory Drug & Alcohol Awareness Training?

Transportation companies employ safety-sensitive employees. These might be airline pilots, bus drivers, railroad engineers, or some other type of professional. However, all employees of DOT companies play an important role in safeguarding passengers and customers. DOT mandatory drug and alcohol awareness training helps ensure that all employees have the information necessary to understand not only the impacts of drug and alcohol use on their lives but where to seek help and the company’s policy on drug and alcohol use on the job.

How Long Does Awareness Training Take?

The duration of any DOT mandatory drug and alcohol awareness training program depends on the company offering the program, or the training method your company chooses. DOT companies are free to provide in-house training for their employees in several different ways, including video courses, live presentations, and information packets. They are also free to work with a qualified training provider to ensure accurate information dissemination for employees. The required duration for this type of training is 60 minutes, and it should be enough to ensure there is time for the employees to ingest all information, and ask or seek answers to their questions.

What Should DOT Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training Include?

Any DOT drug and alcohol awareness training program should include some specific information. This includes hotline telephone numbers for assistance, as well as information about the person or persons answering questions about the program. It should detail the conduct expected of employees, as well as the signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol use on the job. The program should also explain the ramifications and repercussions of abuse on the job, as well as what constitutes a refusal to test and what happens should an employee choose to refuse to test.

Supervisor Training

While DOT mandatory drug and alcohol awareness training is required for your general employees, supervisors must go through a more rigorous training process. This should constitute 120 minutes broken into equal segments focusing on drugs and alcohol. This is a requirement before a supervisor can make a referral for an employee to undergo testing. Any referrals made by supervisors without reasonable suspicion training are void (within DOT companies – this rule does not apply to non-DOT companies).

The right DOT drug and alcohol awareness training company can provide invaluable benefits, and ensure that your employees can receive accurate, essential training.