DOT Oral Fluid Drug Testing

An oral drug test is a saliva-based screen that collects oral fluid using a secure device instead of urine. For DOT, oral testing will soon become an approved method for meeting federal testing requirements.

It will become active once two HHS-certified laboratories receive approval. The rule is finalized, and the industry is now awaiting lab certification.

DOT oral fluid drug testing will use a standardized saliva collection device handled by a trained professional at a certified clinic. The oral fluid sample will be shipped to one of the approved DOT oral fluid testing labs for processing, ensuring full DOT compliance.

DOT oral fluid testing offers easier collections, eliminates restroom privacy concerns, reduces opportunities for tampering, and provides a smoother overall testing experience for employees. It also focuses on a shorter lookback window, making it especially useful for post-incident situations, reasonable suspicion testing, and other scenarios where recent use matters most.

An oral swab drug test collects saliva using an absorbent collection device, not a traditional cotton swab. The saliva samples can be used to detect drugs that were recently used, typically within the last 48 hours. This is the method DOT will soon allow for official testing.

Once two labs have become certified and DOT authorizes oral-fluid collections, you'll be able to schedule an oral drug test at thousands of our clinics nationwide. We're fully prepared on our end and ready to launch the moment DOT gives the green light. We're just as excited as you are to offer this new option!

DOT testing must be performed through certified labs, so at-home kits cannot be used for compliance. However, when DOT launches this method, you'll be able to schedule testing through us. We have clinics everywhere, and you'll be able to easily find a location to get DOT oral drug testing done.

Yes. DOT requires that oral drug test results meet the same scientific standards as urine testing, and all processing must be done through certified laboratories.

Not exactly. One of the biggest differences is cutoff levels. DOT oral fluid tests use specific cutoff levels that are set by the federal government. These levels decide how much of a drug must be present before a test is reported as positive. Regular saliva drug tests are not required to follow these federal cutoff levels. Each lab or company can set its own limits, which means results can vary from one test to another.

So, while both tests use the same collection procedure, only DOT oral fluid testing follows the DOT's exact rules, labs, procedures, and standardized cutoff levels.

Begin updating your drug testing policies and drug testing program to include oral drug testing, train supervisors on what oral fluid saliva testing will look like, and stay connected with us so you can be notified the moment DOT oral fluid becomes fully available.