You can become a DOT Qualified Collector in 4 Easy & Comprehensive Steps
How does a DOT Urine Collector Qualifications Work?
Once an individual successfully completes the DOT qualification process, a collector’s qualifications are not location/collection site specific but rather the qualification of the collector and their eligibility will follow them anywhere DOT Agency regulated urine specimens are collected.
Qualified collectors do not have to register or to be on any federally-maintained or federally-sponsored list, but they are required to maintain (for Federal inspection) documentation of successful completion of their training and proficiency demonstration requirements.
Do I need to become “certified” to conduct DOT urine collections or operate a DOT collection site for drug testing?
No, the Department of Transportation does not require “certification” of a collector or a collection site before they can collect urine specimens for DOT drug tests. In fact, only individual collectors (not collection sites) may
become qualified to collect DOT urine specimens.
What should be the content of the qualification training program and who may conduct it?
There is no official published a curriculum for urine collection training, however, the DOT expects trainers to base their curriculum on both DOT regulations and the latest version of DOT’s publication, “Urine Specimen Collection Guidelines” and the qualification training [See 40.33(b)] must contain the following elements:
Qualification Training
Knowledge about Part 40 collection procedures,
All the steps necessary to conduct a proper collection, How to properly fill out a federal collection form (Custody and Control Form, or CCF), How to handle problem collections (shy bladder, attempts to tamper with the test, etc.), Information about fatal and correctable flaws in collections and collection paperwork, and The collector’s responsibility for maintaining the integrity and credibility of the collection process, privacy, and specimen security.
The course material may be taught in person, conducted by video, by computer programs, via the internet, by video conference, or by other equivalent means. Also, there is no mandatory time requirement for this portion of the training.
Although an examination is not required, to demonstrate compliance with the qualification training requirement, it is recommended that the course have built in some means of ensuring that the information has been successfully learned.
What should be the content of the collector proficiency demonstration and who can conduct it?
After successfully completing the qualification training program, the collector-to-be must then complete five consecutive error-free mock collections under the direct observation of a qualified monitor. [See 40.33(c)]
The five mock collections must include the following types of collections, in any order:
2 uneventful/routine, 1 covering an insufficient quantity of urine,
1 covering a temperature out of range, and
1 covering a refusal to sign the CCF paperwork and initial the bottle seal.