DOT Opens Drug and Alcohol Testing Records Review Through January 8

The U.S. Department of Transportation is accepting comments through January 8, 2027, on renewing the federal information collection used for transportation workplace drug and alcohol testing programs. TheTrucker.com reported the review November 10. The official Federal Register notice, docket DOT-OST-2026-4192, confirms that DOT is seeking renewed approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act rather than creating a new testing mandate.

The collection covers 45 paperwork items and two DOT forms. The Alcohol Testing Form records an individual test, while the Management Information System form reports employer-level totals such as testing reasons, negative results, positive results and refusals. The MIS report does not identify individual employees. FMCSA and other DOT agencies use aggregated information when administering their regulated testing programs and setting annual random-testing rates.

DOT estimates that the collection affects about 2.38 million respondents and requires 723,484 administrative hours annually across all covered transportation sectors. Those totals include employers, government representatives and testing service providers; they are not trucking-only figures. Proposed MIS form edits primarily remove information requested from pipeline operators and do not change the trucking-specific reporting requirements described in the notice.

Motor carriers should continue following current 49 CFR Part 40 procedures and applicable FMCSA testing rules while the review is open. A comment period does not suspend recordkeeping, testing, reporting or Clearinghouse responsibilities. Compliance teams may use the docket to address whether the requested information is necessary, whether DOT's burden estimates are accurate and whether collection methods can be improved. Small fleets should preserve controlled access to testing records, confirm retention schedules and avoid sending personal driver information outside approved reporting channels.