DOT’s Oral Fluid Testing Stalls Due to Lack of Labs

Alternative Testing Method Was Approved More Than a Year Ago

U.S. Department of Transportation drug testing of truck drivers using oral fluid collections was approved more than a year ago, but a lack of certified lab testing facilities and trained testers has indefinitely stalled use of the alternative method.

Thet Department of Transportation final rule approved oral fluid drug testing as an alternative for workers regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration.

Nearly 14 months later, that has yet to happen. “At this time, there are no laboratories certified to conduct drug and specimen validity tests on oral fluid specimen,” DOT said in a Federal Register post on July 1 2024.

DOT has not identified the reason for the delay other than to imply in documents that the certification process is lengthy.

A Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration official on July 29 told Safety+Health that the agency is considering applications filed this spring by three laboratories for certification in oral fluid testing, a benchmark for implementing employer testing.

For employers to enact oral fluid testing HHS must certify at least two laboratories.

“There are currently no laboratories certified to conduct oral fluid drug testing,” the SAMHSA official said, adding that the certification process is ongoing and typically takes three to six months from the receipt of application.