DOT governs drug testing for employers in the trucking, pipeline, aviation and rail industries as well as the Coast Guard and a handful of others. Non-DOT employers include everyone else.

The major difference between DOT and non-DOT employers is that while any employer can conduct drug tests on their employees, DOT employers have a legal obligation to conduct the testing. There are also strict regulations that govern DOT drug testing procedures, personnel and the consequences of positive tests.

The laboratory must test for the following five drugs or classes of drugs in a DOT drug test. You must not test “DOT specimens” for any other drugs.

1. Marijuana metabolites.
2. Cocaine metabolites.
3. Amphetamines.
4. Opioids.
5. Phencyclidine (PCP).