Federal regulations require drug and alcohol testing of employees whose positions require them to possess a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Approximately 6,500 employees in 16 agencies (15 agencies under the Governor's jurisdiction plus the State System of Higher Education) are covered by the CDL drug/alcohol testing requirements. PennDOT alone employs approximately 5,500 covered employees. Nearly 2,000 managers and supervisors also are required to receive specialized CDL supervisory training.
The intent of the CDL drug/alcohol testing is to ensure that employees who perform safety sensitive functions with respect to the operation of a CDL vehicle are not under the influence of any controlled substance or alcohol that would impair their ability to perform their duties in a safe and effective manner. Federal regulations provide for drug/alcohol tests in the following situations: pre-employment (drugs only), random, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and follow-up.
Employees who test positive (which includes refusal to test and submitting an adulterated sample) are required to participate in SEAP in order to retain their Commonwealth employment. SEAP arranges for the employee to be evaluated by a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP). The SAP will recommend treatment and/or education, and the employee must comply with all SAP recommendations. An employee who fails to comply with all the SAP recommendations will be discharged from SEAP, and will be subject to discipline, up to and including discharge from employment. The employee will be monitored for compliance, and is not permitted to return to safety sensitive duties until cleared by the SAP. Once returned to safety sensitive duty, the employee will be subject to follow-up drug/alcohol tests, on a schedule determined by the SAP, for up to 5 years. The employee is also placed back into the random testing pool, and will be subject to random drug/alcohol tests as well. An employee who tests positive for a second time (either on random or follow-up) will be subject to discipline, up to and including discharge from employment.
CDL Program Manual 505.5
CDL Advance Notification Form
CDL Referral Information and Consent Form
CDL HIPAA Authorization Form
Employee Guide to CDL Drug and Alcohol Testing
Employee Guide to CDL Drug & Alcohol Testing (Booklet Form) (To print this document go to File, Print, Properties - Under Document Style select 2 Sided Book Style....go to Paper - Under Image Orientation select Landscape)
