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Four New Synthetic Opioids Added to CDL Driver Drug Testing Requirements

 

 

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is amending its drug testing requirements for CDL drivers by adding four commonly abused opioids, clarifying existing requirements and removing certain urine testing methods. The DOT is making the changes in order to harmonize the agency’s drug testing requirements with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandatory Guidelines established for Federal drug-testing programs for urine testing. Federal law requires that U.S. DOT drug testing for CDL drivers mirror the HHS standards.

New Drugs Added to Testing Panel

Under the amendments, CDL drivers will be tested for hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and oxycodone. The drugs are usually taken as pills, both legally and illegally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),, opioid abuse has seen a dramatic increase in the past 10 years across all socio-economic classifications. The DOT also said it is removing methylene dioxyethyl amphetamine (MDEA) from the existing drug testing panel and adding methylene dioxy amphetamine (MDA). Testing for the new drug panels will start on January 1, 2018.

Possible Expansion of Test Methods

The final DOT rule also clarifies that only urine testing is currently allowed for DOT drug tests. Point-of-collection urine testing or instant tests are not allowed. However, the HHS is considering addition of new drug testing methods other than urine collection. The HHS is studying the effectiveness of hair samples and oral swabs to detect drug use. The DOT indicated that it would likely add both methods to its own standards but can’t do so until the HHS acts.

Removal of Blind Specimen Testing

Finally, the DOT is removing blind specimen testing requirements from the drug testing program. The blind testing requirement has been part of the program since its inception. The requirement for employers and certified third-party testing consortiums to submit blind samples was intended to help ensure the accuracy of the laboratory testing process. Under the current regulation, an employer will send a blind specimen to an HHS-certified laboratory, accompanied by a Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form (CCF) with the name of a fictitious donor, for quality control purposes to see if the laboratory's results match the known contents of that particular blind specimen. The DOT noted that not one false positive was detected from a single blind specimen in more than 25 years of the federal drug testing requirements. The DOT is eliminating the blind sample requirement to reduce the regulatory burden on CDL driver employees.

 

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