In response to the nation’s opioid epidemic, the Department of Transportation (DOT) amended its testing program requirements to require inclusion of four semi-synthetic opioids, hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone and oxymorphone, to the required drug testing panel. DOT also added methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) to the panel and removed methylenedioxyethylamphetaime (MDEA) as a confirmatory test analyte as redundant since

On September 21, 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, announced a final rule banning commercial vehicle operators from texting messages while driving.
Continue Reading US DOT Announces Final Rule Banning Texting While Driving by Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators: OSHA Joins In to Battle “Distracted Driving”

In a decision released May 15, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation that requires employees who are returning to safety-sensitive duties after having completed a drug treatment program due to failing or refusing to take a drug test, to submit to return to duty and follow up testing under “direct observation” conditions.
Continue Reading D.C. Circuit Upholds “Direct Observation” Requirements for USDOT Return to Duty and Follow Up Testing