• For training purposes, several key definitions apply to DOT drug and alcohol program management.

The following key definitions will be useful when training those who supervise drivers subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) drug and alcohol program regulations:

Alcohol — The intoxicating agent in beverage alcohol, ethyl alcohol or other low molecular weight alcohols, including methyl or isopropyl alcohol.

Articulable — Clearly described observations made by a trained supervisor leading to the DOT reasonable suspicion test. Something that cannot be accurately put into words on the supervisor’s report is not articulable.

Contemporaneous — The signs and symptoms of drug or alcohol use occurring as the trained supervisor observes them. Something a supervisor saw, for instance, yesterday is not a contemporaneous observation.

Drugs — Under Department of Transportation (DOT) drug testing regulations, “drugs” are those for which tests are required, including:

• Marijuana
• Cocaine
• Amphetamines
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Opioids

Driver — Any person who operates a commercial motor vehicle. This includes, but is not limited to full-time, regularly employed drivers; casual, intermittent, or occasional drivers; and leased drivers or independent owner-operator contractors.

Reasonable suspicion — The employer’s determination — based on specific, contemporaneous, articulable observations concerning the appearance, behavior, speech or body odors of the driver — to require the driver to undergo an alcohol and/or drug test. The observations may include indications of the chronic and withdrawal effects of controlled substances.

Supervisor — An employee of a motor carrier who has been designated as a driver supervisor in order to request a DOT reasonable suspicion test. The supervisor must receive the 60-minute training on drug use and an additional 60 minutes of training on alcohol misuse to be qualified to assume a role as a driver supervisor.