The things people actually ask us on the phone.

We come to you. That is the whole business. A qualified collector arrives at your yard, plant, site or office with everything needed to run a compliant collection. All we need from you is a private restroom and somewhere to complete paperwork.

In the Triangle, often very little, and same day is frequently possible. Further out we would rather plan a few days ahead so the trip is sensible for both of us. Post-accident and reasonable suspicion situations are treated as urgent wherever you are, because the regulations attach time limits to them.

It depends on the panel, the number of people and the location, so anyone quoting you a single number before asking those questions is guessing. Tell us those three things and you will get a firm price rather than a range.

A negative laboratory result is commonly back within one to two business days. Anything non-negative takes longer because it must be reviewed by a Medical Review Officer, who has to reach the employee before releasing a verified result. Hair testing takes longer than urine.

An MRO is a licensed physician who reviews every non-negative result before it reaches the employer. They contact the employee directly to ask whether there is a legitimate medical explanation, such as a valid prescription. If there is, the result is reported to you as negative and you are not told what the medication was. It adds time, and it is the step that protects both you and the employee.

Not because of a valid prescription alone. That is precisely what the MRO review exists to establish. The employee explains the prescription to the physician, who verifies it. Note that a verified prescription addresses the drug test result; whether a medication affects someone's fitness for a safety sensitive role is a separate question for you and your occupational health advice.

DOT testing is federally regulated under 49 CFR Part 40. The panel, the cutoffs, the procedure and the consequences are fixed and cannot be varied. Non-DOT testing is governed by your own written policy, subject to state law. In North Carolina that means the Controlled Substance Examination Regulation Act, which DOT testing is expressly exempt from.

In North Carolina, a single use screening device may be used for prospective employees. For current employees, the statute requires that the screening test itself be performed by an approved laboratory. That distinction catches out a lot of employers who buy instant kits in bulk.

Under FMCSA rules, alcohol testing should be conducted as soon as practicable and no later than eight hours, and controlled substance testing no later than thirty two hours. If you do not manage it inside those windows you must stop attempting and document why. Not every accident triggers testing, so it is worth calling to work out whether yours does.

This is called shy bladder and there is a written procedure for it. The insufficient specimen is discarded, the employee is given a further opportunity within a defined period with fluids offered, and if they still cannot provide one the matter goes to a physician to determine whether there is a medical explanation.

Dilute is a validity finding rather than a positive. It usually means a lot of fluid was consumed before the collection. Depending on the values and your policy, the normal response is a recollection. Telling employees in advance not to drink large amounts of water beforehand prevents most of these.

Yes. Evidential breath testing is performed on site by a trained technician, with the screening and confirmation sequence the regulations require. We also arrange EtG testing where a longer detection window is needed, such as abstinence monitoring.

Valid photo identification, without exception, and the court order or attorney letter if you have it. The order usually specifies which panel is required and where the result must be sent. A collection for court has to be done under chain of custody, so tell us that at the start.

The laboratory analysis is identical. A legal test verifies and records every participant's identity, is witnessed, and documents chain of custody, which is what makes it acceptable to a court or agency. An informational test does none of that. You cannot convert an informational result into a legal one afterwards, so if there is any chance a court will need it, collect it legally from the start.

Yes. A single driver cannot run a meaningful random programme alone, so consortium membership pools you with other employers. We handle selections, notification and the annual documentation an FMCSA audit asks for.

Yes. Results go only to the people named on the paperwork. Where an MRO verifies a prescription, the underlying medical information stays with the physician and is not passed to you.