Successful supervisors will be able to make reasonable suspicion determinations, as well as confidently recognize the signs, symptoms, activities, and behaviors associated with substance abuse.  Attendees will be able to express an understanding of industry terms and the protocols involved with reasonable suspicion testing.

Each DOT administration has mandatory training requirements for supervisors of safety-sensitive personnel.  In addition, each DOT administration has mandatory educational requirements for safety-sensitive employees.  Non-DOT training of supervisors and employees may be mandatory per state regulations, company policy, insurance providers or other governing bodies, and is strongly recommended for individuals responsible for making reasonable suspicion determinations and testing requests.

Yes. A session can be designed to meet the specific needs of each client.  However, for federal DOT supervisor training, a class must meet the minimum length specified under each DOT agency (typically, 60 minutes of alcohol training and 60 minutes of drug training).

The consequences of not completing the mandated minimum training can, at the least, result in fines and penalties and at the worst serious injuries and liability. Even if you are not covered by DOT regulations, all supervisors making reasonable suspicion determinations should be trained on the signs and symptoms in order to avoid potential liability when ordering drug and alcohol tests.

 A certificate of completion helps substantiate a supervisor’s qualification and understanding of reasonable suspicion recognition, evaluation and documentation. It also provides necessary proof of training in the event of DOT or other regulatory audit.

One DOT administration and several state regulations mandate annual refresher training.  Though certificates do not expire, Tomo’s recommendation is to conduct refresher training every 2 - 4 years for both supervisors and employees/drivers. Refresher training allows supervisors to remain current with trends and regulations as well as enhance their knowledge and skills.  Employee/driver refresher training improves awareness of the safety impact drug and alcohol use has in the workplace as well as maintaining current knowledge of regulations, trends and updates to company policy.