Once an employee with a verified DOT drug and alcohol violation is prohibited from performing safety-sensitive functions, they must find a DOT-qualified Substance Abuse Professional. If the employee is a driver (CDL or CLP) under the FMCSA, they must log into their Clearinghouse account and send a request to the SAP they would like to work with.

Once an employee contacts a DOT-qualified SAP, they can start the return-to-duty process. The SAP will guide them through the process. If the employee is a driver (CDL or CLP) under the FMCSA, the SAP must accept their request in the Clearinghouse before starting the process.

The next step requires employees to meet with their SAP for a face-to-face clinical SAP evaluation. This one-on-one conversation helps the SAP understand how the violation occurred.

The SAP will meet with the employee for a follow-up SAP evaluation once the employee has actively participated in the required education and/or treatment program.

Once the SAP determines that the employee has successfully complied with the required education and/or treatment, they will be eligible for a return-to-duty drug test.

The employee must have a negative drug test result and/or an alcohol test with an alcohol concentration of less than 0.02 before resuming the performance of safety-sensitive duties.

Once the employee resumes performing safety-sensitive functions, their employer will subject them to unannounced drug and alcohol tests to ensure ongoing compliance with DOT drug and alcohol regulations.