What Are DOT Part 40 Questions and Answers?
Our training students often ask, “What are DOT Part 40 questions and answers“? Occasionally the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy Compliance, otherwise known as ODAPC, publishes answers to significant and enlightening questions posed by service agents or other professionals to their office. The DOT drug and alcohol testing regulations, otherwise known as 49 CFR Part 40 are pretty extensive, covering with great detail the proper testing procedures and known participants’ roles and responsibilities. But there are sometimes shades of gray in the regulations that require interpretation by the staff at ODAPC.
It is important to note there are only two agencies that may provide authoritative guidance and interpretation concerning the DOT Regulations; they are the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC), and the DOT Office of General Counsel.
Where to Access DOT Part 40 Questions and Answers
When service agents and drug and alcohol testing professionals encounter unique situations that aren’t so clear cut in the regulations they are encouraged to contact ODAPC for proper interpretations and clarifications. Any drug and alcohol testing professional may contact ODAPC during their regular business hours to pose clarifying questions. Over the years ODAPC has published some of the more significant responses to these questions on their website as Part 40 Questions and Answers, with alerts sent to subscribers to ODAPC’s List Serve Notices when new Questions and Answers are published.
Some of the published entries go back as far as September of 2001, with the latest entry being July 2014.
On their Part 40 Questions and Answers page, ODAPC also publishes other documents that provide alcohol and drug testing professionals with additional guidance, such as the use of HIPAA forms in drug and alcohol testing and pre-employment alcohol testing exceptions.
In our Breath Alcohol Technician and Specimen Collector Training courses we encounter many drug and alcohol testing professionals who are not aware of ODAPC’s Part 40 Questions and Answers. We stress the importance of subscribing to the ODAPC List Serve to stay on top of developments, especially professionals who hold training responsibilities. We also stress the importance of using websites like ODAPC’s and the AlcoPro Blog articles as a means of teaching staff and keeping them up to date on DOT drug and alcohol testing regulations.