Blog

The number of covered employees may impact your decision on which to use

Participating in a drug testing consortium is a great way for small employers and owner-operators to take advantage of larger consortium pool numbers with regard to meeting random DOT drug test requirements. However, at what point does it make sense for a growing company to move to a standalone program?

Wisconsin Drug Testing Consortium (WDTC) provides services as a drug testing consortium manager as well as through standalone programs. While there is no fixed number of covered employees needed before transitioning to a standalone program, we recommend looking into that model once your number reaches 25 or more covered employees.

It is common for decision makers to focus solely on compliance and cost when it comes to DOT drug testing for employees who operate in the DOT environment. The third leg of that stool is safety, and this is where moving to a standalone testing program can increase safety benefits over a general pool drug testing consortium.

Drug testing consortium safety benefits decline with more employees

DOT testing percentages states that 50 percent of your covered employees must undergo random drug tests and 10 percent alcohol tests each calendar year. Participating in a general pool drug testing consortium typically reduces that percentage for each participating employer and it dilutes the percentage of employees from larger companies who otherwise would be tested.

For example, a company using a standalone program with 20 covered employees would need 10 employees to be randomly drug tested and two alcohol tested. Remaining in a drug testing consortium likely would reduce the number of tested employees and impact overall safety.

“Moving to a standalone program involves a minimal cost increase to stay compliant, and it would be a decision driven by safety,” notes Mike Bray, president of WDTC. “Utilizing a standalone consortium instead of a general pool consortium becomes an investment in your company’s overall safety culture.”

About Wisconsin Drug Testing Consortium

Wisconsin Drug Testing Consortium is an accredited, Certified Third Party Administrator (C-TPA), and specializes in DOT consortium management and Clearinghouse compliance; 100% electronic from your desktop portal; a variety of drug testing methods, including urine, hair and fingernails; post-accident testing; pre-employment drug tests; criminal background checks; supervisor training programs to keep employees compliant with DOT regulations; pre-employment DOT physicals; and paternity DNA testing.

Headquartered in Green Bay, WDTC also has offices in Oshkosh and Appleton, Wisconsin. Call 920-393-4168 or visit https://widrugtesting.com for more information.

tag: DOT drug test