Dot physical and drug test at the same time.

If your BP is high , schedule the dot exam first thing in the morning and get up and don’t drink ANYTHING ,
For me that gets mine about 10-12 points lower .
I get mine done at the CVS minute clinic .
It’s much faster than the occupational medicine places .

 

Since YOU know you are at the clinic for BOTH the DOT exam and the drug screen, YOU need to remind them at the very start when you arrive and when you you walk back to start paperwork before whatever the clinic decides to do first. THEY DON"T KNOW what is between your ears. It's your job to remind them at any and every key point so you don't help them to make the mistake you are afraid they are going to make. I only say the above because I have seen a ton of drivers over the years mumble something to someone and then walk right into the mistake they thought might happen. Many of us truck drivers are not people persons. We work alone all day, most days. And because of this more than once I've seen drivers become outraged that someone they are dealing with does not already know the 5 things inside of his mind he has been worrying about and then explode when that stranger has not built their whole world around the topic the drivers has been stewing over since 1987. He's thought about this thing for days, weeks, or years but the nurse, for example, has only seen you 8 seconds before and doesn't know every detail of your life and he/she almost always does just one of the things you are there to get done. Be proactive, not passive and then verify before you start to give your sample that THIS ONE SAMPLE IS GOING TO BE USED FOR 2 PURPOSES, RIGHT? Then make sure you fill the cup to the brim and don't wash or flush until told to do so. Just to be sure, insist the first sample you give is for drug screen. There is no time limit by which you must give the DOT urine sample. Also, even if things go wrong you have 3 hours inside the clinic to go again. Sorry for the belt, suspenders, duct tape, and super-glue answer. It's what I do.

 

In my experience when going for a pre-employment physical and drug screen, they ALWAYS do the drug screen first before they put you in an exam room to wait on the doctor/nurse practitioner/PA who will do the physical.

Be your own advocate and remind the tech/nurse doing the drug screen to leave enough in the specimen cup for the other tech/nurse to do the urine screen for diabetes. If you fill the cup almost completely there will be more than enough to fill both of the bottles from the drug screen kit and enough left in the cup for the diabetes strip. Once a diabetes strip has been placed in the sample, it should NOT be used for the drug screen as there might be contaminants on the strip that could affect the results of the drug screen.

Also be your own advocate and insist you are allowed to witness the seal on the drug screen test kit before they break it and open the bottles your samples are going to go into and also witness the bottles your samples are placed in being sealed into the courier packet with your bar code on it. Mistakes happen, especially when there are multiple kits open sitting on the same counter at the same time waiting for multiple sample donors.

 

I always had a urine test with all of my physicals and assumed that was the drug test. They can also use it to check for diabetes. There is another thing you will want to watch and thats you blood pressure. Last year I failed to get a 2 year card because I was over the 140/90 limit. I wasn't watching my weight and wasn't getting enough exercise. So on the medication I went. YUK!!!. I learned my lesson. I went on a diet, started jogging and now feel great. At my physical two weeks ago my pressure was down to 116/64. That was a 30 point drop in systolic pressure. My next door neighbor is a nurse and she checked it in both arms just verify that 116 reading. Both arms were below 120. My doctor told me that elevated blood pressure is the number one reason she has to restrict or disqualify a driver. And she is seeing more female drivers with the problem. Stay healthy and be safe!

 

If your hydrated your piss should pretty much be clear anyways. Most times I've pissed in a cup it was pretty clear and never came back diluted

 

It has been close to 15 years since I last was tested at the same time as my physical. My memory is a bit foggy, but I think the nurse broke open a testing bag in front of me, gave me the cup, and told me not to flush. This was actually the next item after the eyechart. I watched her dip the testing reagent into my urine and wrote the results on my long-form. Then took that urine and poured into the split sample and sealed it in front of me. I watched her seal it and then I walked into the exam room and waited for the ME! This process is generally how it is done when the clinic does both. Part 40 is detailed on how these samples are to be collected.

 

I did a pre-employment and drug screen Thursday and that's exactly how it went for me. Well, the eye test came after the collection paperwork was done...

 

49 CFR 40.71(b)(8)

"You must discard any urine left over in the collection container after both specimen bottles have been appropriately filled and sealed. There is one exception to this requirement: you may use excess urine to conduct clinical tests (e.g., protein, glucose) if the collection was conducted in conjunction with a physical examination required by a DOT agency regulation. Neither you nor anyone else may conduct further testing (such as adulteration testing) on this excess urine and the employee has no legal right to demand that the excess urine be turned over to the employee."

49 CFR 40.13(c)

"Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, you must not perform any tests on DOT urine or breath specimens other than those specifically authorized by this part or DOT agency regulations. For example, you may not test a DOT urine specimen for additional drugs, and a laboratory is prohibited from making a DOT urine specimen available for a DNA test or other types of specimen identity testing."

49 CFR 40.13(d)

"The single exception to paragraph (c) of this section is when a DOT drug test collection is conducted as part of a physical examination required by DOT agency regulations. It is permissible to conduct required medical tests related to this physical examination (e.g., for glucose) on any urine remaining in the collection container after the drug test urine specimens have been sealed into the specimen bottles."

In other words, test strips for glucose should only ever be used AFTER the drug screen split specimen bottles have been sealed, NEVER before.

 

Since you quoted me I am going to reply. First I am VERY aware of 40.13 (d), in fact, I was part of an action getting a clinic to stop doing this as well as some other BS several years ago. In the memory, I quoted I was careful to say my memory was foggy. For all I know the nurse did it per 40.13 (d), I just don't remember. I might also add that the DOT has a very good reason for the making of 40.13 (d) and that is they DO NOT want anything to touch that urine once the driver gives it to the person conducting the test. The person being tested is supposed to also witness everything being done to the urine. One more thing part 40 covers more than truckers. That action I spoke of was not actually a problem with just truckers. There were several Railway conductors, many brakemen, and an Engineer that was part of it. This is why I wish there was a plain language publication that was easy to read and understand that goes over EVERYTHING about this process.