Drug Testing For CDL School

I am curious if anyone can tell me what the requirements or provisions might be for attending CDL school.

I am planning on attending C1 in Strafford, MO and I really do not wish to ask them about their testing policy and/or procedures because I do not want to raise any red flags. I was curious if someone may have that info and want to share.

Thank you in advance for any assistance.

I am sure they probably do a standard 5 panel urine DOT drug test that now includes an extended opiate panel. Just guessing here. A lot of companies are now doing hair folice testing, however I would assume a school would just do a urine test.

Thank you, those things I already knew. I was more curious about the actual schools policy. I'll just show up tomorrow and let them know what is going on. Honesty is the best policy, but sometimes people judge before they know.

David if there is a chance you will test positive it would've been better for you to wait. Unless it's a medication prescribed to you, the school will not allow you to operate their equipment if you fail a drug test. If you show up and dont take it then it goes down as a refusal which is the same as a failed test. I'm not sure how a failed test in school is handled, but theres a new federal mandate that all CDL holders failed drug tests will be put into a system and visible any time you apply for a job. I'm not judging you just shooting straight, in a federally regulated industry such as this there is no middle ground. You either pass or fail.

Thank you, those things I already knew. I was more curious about the actual schools policy. I'll just show up tomorrow and let them know what is going on. Honesty is the best policy, but sometimes people judge before they know.

No problem. I do however second everything Rob T said. If there is any chance at all that you will fail then you really need to put off going to school until you are 100% sure that you will come back clean. A failed drug test could pretty much kill your career before you even get it started.

You're right, I have waited. I figured 40 days out would be okay, but apparently for me, that isn't the case. This is why I was wondering about the schools policies. I will be finding out soon, and if I need to wait on school, so be it.

If you aren’t certain about your clean status you can purchase a home test.

Good luck,

G

Whats all this 40 days? Jk. I was on muscle relaxants 90 days before I attended Prime. Let them know and I had to have my doc write a note saying stable without and had been 30 days since taking them. Don't play with DOT. You don't want anything in your system if there is an accident legal or otherwise. You cant even have mouthwash with alcohol in it in your truck. Be sure you are clean.

David, There is some solid information here. During my application for Swift they did a urine and hair follicle sample. This was just 10 days ago during my physical. The academy starts Monday (tomorrow!) and they are doing a second urine and hair follicle test this week. A single test may not be the complete picture, especially when you are in pre-hire.

I'm 55 and starting a new career after being in the same field for 40 years.. About a two years ago, I started using cannabis. When I got laid off I thought I'd be able to find work.. Well, that hasn't happened, so I decided I was going to go to CDL school. I stopped using that and am seeking alternative ways.

So, I've been 40 days without, and still showing positive on a home test, that is why I am curious about their policy/procedures. I'm not sure if they test on day 1, or not. I'm not sure if they send you to a lab, or whether it is done at the school. If it's day 1, I will need to wait, if it's in a week or two after, then I should be okay.

This new career is very important, so if I need to wait, I will wait. It's tough though when you've been out of work for as long as I have.. I'm still looking at another 4 weeks, likely going to school, so time is of the essence, as I've been out of work for over 6 months. There is no money left. I was able to get a grant for school and I do not want to mess this up.

This is the reasoning for my question. I'm not trying to skirt the system, I just wanna work and make a living.