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USDOT Approves Oral Fluid Testing as Alternative to Urine Tests

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May 1, 2023

USDOT Approves Oral Fluid Testing as Alternative to Urine Tests

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has recently announced that it will allow companies the option of using oral fluid, also known as saliva, for drug testing instead of urine.

The amendment to federal regulations was published in a notice in the Federal Register on May 2, 2023. Although the new ruling would not ban urine testing, it would permit employers to choose between the two methods of sample collection.

USDOT’s Final Rule: Oral Fluid Testing to Combat Urine Test Cheating

The Final Rule will take effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register. Before any company uses oral fluid drug testing, however, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services must certify at least two laboratories for oral fluid testing, a process that officials say has not yet occurred.

According to officials, allowing the use of oral fluid drug testing as an alternative method will help combat employee cheating on urine drug tests and provide a less intrusive way of achieving the safety goals of the program.

“This additional methodology for drug testing will give employers a choice that will help combat employee cheating on urine drug tests and provide a more economical, less intrusive means of achieving the safety goals of the program,” the officials said. “The proposal includes other provisions to update the Department’s regulation and harmonize it with the new Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs using Oral Fluid established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”

Oral Fluid Testing Could Help Save Money and Jobs

USDOT notes that using oral fluid testing could potentially reduce costs for the transportation industry. Oral fluid testing is said to be about $10 to $20 less expensive than urine testing. Officials also suggest that significant time and resource savings could be achieved by eliminating “shy bladder” collection procedures.

The new ruling may also benefit individuals with paruresis, a psychological condition that makes it difficult for some people to provide a sufficient quantity of urine. The USDOT reported that they received many comments from individuals who had lost their careers or opted out of transportation safety-sensitive careers due to the requirements of urine testing. The use of oral fluid testing methodology, they emphasized, would make these individuals more employable.

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