Drug/Alcohol Test && CDL Driving School

Hey there future truckers! I have come across numerous posts asking about what happens when you fail a CDL Driving School Drug/Alcohol Test. Here I'm going to take some time to answer this question as concisely as I am able. Keep in mind this only pertains to Driving Schools and NOT Trucking Companies! There are two things that usually happen to those that fail their initial test.

1) More often than not, someone has the idea to be a trucker and they enroll in a CDL school. When they enroll and pay the costs of the class they are asked to take a Drug/Alcohol test. This is required under DOT regulations in case you were wondering as to why. If and when the results come back positive for drugs this person figures that they are denied the privilege of CDL licensing and the road stops there! :-[

2) Option 2 is what you SHOULD do if you are serious about getting a CDL license and getting on the road! What most driving schools fail to tell their students is that a failed test is not the end of their future trucking career! If you are determined not to let a false-positive, inconclusive, or simply failed drug/alcohol test stop you from getting your CDL you must follow DOT regulations EVEN THOUGH you are not yet a CDL driver. Once you receive results of the failed test from the school or the MRO (Medical Review Officer) you can choose to get evaluated for potential Drug/Alcohol problems. If you choose not to do this you may not work as a driver under the DOT, except in very rare circumstances. After this evaluation, depending on the state laws that concern this, you must satisfy the requirements of your evaluation and then follow up with the person who did your initial evaluation to get the ALL CLEAR. Once you get the all clear you are good to go to re-enroll in a CDL course and the next test will be the equivalent of what is called a "return-to-duty" test.

Failed Test -> Evaluation -> Satisfy Evaluation requirements -> Follow-up Evaluation -> Re-Enroll

This is very crucial to know if you are in fact serious about working as a CDL driver because unfortunately it is not the responsibility of the school to tell you this information or aid you in the process in any way! The actual evaluation is fairly straightforward but there are a ton of tips/tricks/info that can aid you in this process. I will save those for another post.

Hope this helps anyone desiring to get their CDL that ran into this obstacle!

-Nick

Hey there future truckers! I have come across numerous posts asking about what happens when you fail a CDL Driving School Drug/Alcohol Test. Here I'm going to take some time to answer this question as concisely as I am able. Keep in mind this only pertains to Driving Schools and NOT Trucking Companies! There are two things that usually happen to those that fail their initial test.

1) More often than not, someone has the idea to be a trucker and they enroll in a CDL school. When they enroll and pay the costs of the class they are asked to take a Drug/Alcohol test. This is required under DOT regulations in case you were wondering as to why. If and when the results come back positive for drugs this person figures that they are denied the privilege of CDL licensing and the road stops there! :-[

2) Option 2 is what you SHOULD do if you are serious about getting a CDL license and getting on the road! What most driving schools fail to tell their students is that a failed test is not the end of their future trucking career! If you are determined not to let a false-positive, inconclusive, or simply failed drug/alcohol test stop you from getting your CDL you must follow DOT regulations EVEN THOUGH you are not yet a CDL driver. Once you receive results of the failed test from the school or the MRO (Medical Review Officer) you can choose to get evaluated for potential Drug/Alcohol problems. If you choose not to do this you may not work as a driver under the DOT, except in very rare circumstances. After this evaluation, depending on the state laws that concern this, you must satisfy the requirements of your evaluation and then follow up with the person who did your initial evaluation to get the ALL CLEAR. Once you get the all clear you are good to go to re-enroll in a CDL course and the next test will be the equivalent of what is called a "return-to-duty" test.

Failed Test -> Evaluation -> Satisfy Evaluation requirements -> Follow-up Evaluation -> Re-Enroll

This is very crucial to know if you are in fact serious about working as a CDL driver because unfortunately it is not the responsibility of the school to tell you this information or aid you in the process in any way! The actual evaluation is fairly straightforward but there are a ton of tips/tricks/info that can aid you in this process. I will save those for another post.

Hope this helps anyone desiring to get their CDL that ran into this obstacle!

-Nick

Nick, Please clarify, does this also apply for a company sponsored school (like Prime, Swift, etc.)? I believe the scenario you described is for private schools and perhaps does not apply in "total" to company sponsored schools.

Say, Nicholas, how do you come up with all this information?

Say, Nicholas, how do you come up with all this information?

Really good question...

Nick, Please clarify, does this also apply for a company sponsored school (like Prime, Swift, etc.)? I believe the scenario you described is for private schools and perhaps does not apply in "total" to company sponsored schools.

The process described is the Illinois procedure for remedying a failed Drug/Alcohol test for any organization required to abide by the Department of Transportation guidelines. This includes trucking companies but many do not know that it also applies to CDL schools because they are required to test any non-CDL driver that will be performing safety sensitive activities, even if for the sole purpose of education.

Say, Nicholas, how do you come up with all this information?

Really good question...

I am a CADC (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor) that has been working in this field for about four years. We also provide SAP evaluation services and DUI services. Throughout the years we started to see more and more truck drivers. When I looked into why this is it dawned on me that there are very few people in the counseling industry that care and tend to truckers in the same way a TPA company would. I took the initiative of getting involved here to see if I can help anyone out with the CORRECT and SPECIFIC details of the process from a clinical point of view. For example, a common question I hear is "how long is the marijuana going to be out of my system so I can take my return to duty test?" The answer to this question varies but I am very excited about making a post in the near future about time tables based on reliable evidence not just personal experience or the "typical" time-frame. I'm here as a resource to you all in your trucking endeavors! :)

I wanted to add a few things things:

1) I meant to write "How long does marijuana stay in my system if I want to know when I will be able to pass a return-to-duty Drug/Alcohol test?"

2) The procedure in Illinois differs very little from the Federal regulations, mostly in requirements that I need to meet on the clinical end, in regards to minimum treatment requirements.

3) I wasn't sure if it would help but this link is a great resource for anyone that wants to read up on their own. Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs Overview of 49 CFR Part 40

It is not only a resource I often turn to for concrete answers to your questions but it is an extremely valuable tool for personal reference.

4) One last note in case anyone has come across this before. I was perplexed at first but after looking into the rules and regulations I'll explain how this answer can be misleading:FMCSA: Driving School Drug/Alcohol test applicability

Although the official answer is NO, driving schools are required to report the tests using DOT compliant procedures. This is how other companies or schools know you've failed a drug test before you ever get there! The only way to fix this and make everyone happy is to complete the DOT requirements for a failed test AS IF you already had a CDL. When you do that there is no more issue regarding the previous test results.