Who Should Take This Course?

This online DOT Reasonable Suspicion course is designed for supervisors and managers who oversee Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) drivers and other safety-sensitive positions. The course will help supervisors recognize symptoms of drug or alcohol use among employees, and also help supervisors learn to establish reasonable suspicion in order to refer an employee for drug and alcohol testing.

The course includes identifying the signs and symptoms of a variety of controlled substances, such as opiates, cocaine, marijuana, PCP, and MDMA. The course also covers supervisor responsibilities once reasonable suspicion is established. DOT regulations for employees returning to work after testing positive for drugs or alcohol will be discussed.

For information on DOT HAZMAT training requirements or the DOT HAZMAT courses we offer, visit our DOT HAZMAT Training page.

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Course Outline

This course consists of 4 sections, which are fully narrated and interactive in our Online Training System (OTS). Knowledge checks and exercises within each section help the student retain the knowledge needed for the final exam.

Module 1
Section Title
1 Course Overview
Key Terms |  What is Reasonable Suspicion? | Why Reasonable Suspicion training? | What about owner-operators?
2 Employer Responsibilities
Educating drivers | Safety-sensitive position | Other DOT agencies | Reasonable Suspicion, justification and testing | Approaching employees | Interview | Employee refusal or positive test result | Returning to work | Documentation. 
3 Recognizing Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol-related driving statistics |  Alcohol consumption and non-beverage alcohol products | Supervisor’s role | Recognizing symptoms of alcohol abuse | Determining reasonable suspicion | FMCSA interpretation | Alcohol concentration | Hangovers | On-duty and pre-duty use | Alcohol influence | Evidence or presence of alcohol | Blood alcohol concentration | Reasonable suspicion interview checklist review |  Case studies. 
4 Recognizing Symptoms of Substance Abuse
What is drug addiction? | Opioid epidemic | Drugged driving | Drug overdose | Drugs and safety-sensitive functions | DOT drug accident statistics | Prohibited substances | Determining drug use | Marijuana | Opiates and Opioids | Amphetamines | MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly) | Hallucinogens | PCP | Cocaine |  Reasonable suspicion interview checklist review | Case studies. 
Course Exam

Course Exam

  • The final exam for this course consists of 10 questions, which are randomly compiled from a large pool of possible questions.
  • A 70% or better score is needed in order to pass the final exam. If a student does not pass, they may re-review information in the sections as necessary, and retake the test as many times as needed in order to pass.

Course Format

Through our state-of-the-art Online Training System (OTS), students take and complete this 100% online, fully narrated course. The training is self-paced and available 24/7.

Designed by Certified Outreach Trainers, the course includes up-to-date, high quality training created with your safety and learning as our top priority. The course features interactive training, which combines audio and visual elements for maximum retention. The course is completed entirely online using a computer with an internet connection and is available 24/7. For your convenience, it can be completed over time, and your progress will be saved to the last section completed. Students are given 6 months to complete the course after enrollment. We are so certain you will be satisfied with your experience, that we offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee*.

Once the course is completed, you will immediately be able to download, save or print your course Course Completion Certificate which is provided in PDF format.

Accreditation

This US DOT accepted training was designed by Certified Outreach Trainers and meets the requirements for 49 CFR.

Certification

Once the course is completed, you will immediately be able to download, save or print your Certificate of Course Completion which is provided in PDF format.

Course Objectives

The objective of this DOT Reasonable Suspicion Supervisor course is to  meet the DOT training requirements in 49 CFR 382.603. This course will meet this legal training requirement. 

49 CFR 382.603
Each employer shall ensure that all persons designated to supervise drivers receive at least 60 minutes of training on alcohol misuse and receive an additional 60 minutes of training on controlled substances use. The training will be used by the supervisors to determine whether reasonable suspicion exists to require a driver to undergo testing under 382.307. The training shall include the physical, behavioral, speech, and performance indicators of probable alcohol misuse and use of controlled substances. Recurrent training for supervisory personnel is not required.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the student should be able to:

  • Recognize the symptoms of alcohol and/or drug abuse;
  • Establish reasonable suspicion;
  • Understand how to refer an employee for drug or alcohol testing; and
  • Describe the outcome when an employee fails a drug or alcohol test.

Additional Training

Please note that this DOT Reasonable Suspicion for Supervisors course is not meant to replace company-specific or function-specific training provided by your employer on equipment use and procedures for your particular work environment. You must be trained by your employer on the hazards, equipment, engineering and administrative controls, safe work practices and emergency plans specific to your role and workplace. Employers need to evaluate employee needs for additional DOT hazardous material training and training in the use of personal protective equipment used on the job.

In ALL situations, employers are required to ensure their employees are adequately trained to do their job.

The HazMat Student Advantage

Student Advantages