Are Blood or Urine Alcohol Tests Allowed under DOT Rules?

No. Under 49 CFR 40.277, other types of alcohol tests, such as blood and urine, are not authorized for testing done under Part 40. Only saliva or breath for screening tests and breath for confirmation tests, using approved devices, are permitted. Under 49 CFR 40.3, alcohol concentration is the alcohol in a volume of breath, expressed in grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath as indicated by a breath test under Part 40.

The DOT drug test is a separate process. Under 49 CFR 40.241(b)(1), when an employee takes both tests, the alcohol test is completed before the urine collection begins, to the greatest extent practicable. The specimen types allowed for DOT drug tests are covered in What Types of Drug Tests Are Allowed under DOT Rules?.

Part 382 has one exception, for FMCSA post-accident alcohol tests. Under 49 CFR 382.303(g)(1), a breath or blood alcohol test conducted by federal, state or local law enforcement or public safety officials with independent authority for the test meets the post-accident testing requirement, if the test conforms to the applicable federal, state or local alcohol testing requirements and the employer obtains the results. That rule is covered in Can a Police Alcohol Test Count as an FMCSA Post-Accident Test?.

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