Straight answers, no regulation-quoting.

Most programs are live within 24 hours. That includes requesting records from your outgoing administrator, reconciling your driver roster, loading your random pool, verifying your Clearinghouse registration and issuing a compliance certificate.

It depends on driver count, testing volume and which services you need. There are no setup fees and no long-term contracts. Tell us your fleet size and we will send a quote the same business day.

No. We handle the records request and the migration. There is no fee and no gap in coverage. The only thing we need from you is a driver list and permission to contact your outgoing provider. See Join IPS.

Yes. We are headquartered in Troy, Michigan and administer programs for clients across the United States, with more than 1500 collection sites nationwide.

Negatives are typically MRO-verified and posted within 24 hours of the specimen reaching the laboratory. Non-negatives take 24 to 48 hours longer because the Medical Review Officer must contact the donor first.

Marijuana metabolites, cocaine metabolites, opioids (including codeine, morphine, 6-AM, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone and oxymorphone), amphetamines (including methamphetamine, MDMA and MDA) and PCP — plus specimen validity testing.

No. DOT testing must be performed at a SAMHSA-certified laboratory. Rapid and point-of-collection devices may only be used in non-DOT programs, and a non-negative rapid result must still be laboratory-confirmed.

No. 49 CFR Part 40 expressly prohibits an MRO from accepting a state medical marijuana authorisation as a legitimate medical explanation. A verified positive is a violation regardless of state law.

Leaving the collection site before the process is complete, failing to provide a sufficient specimen without a valid medical explanation, adulterating or substituting a specimen, refusing a directly observed collection, and failing to appear within a reasonable time. A refusal carries the same consequences as a verified positive.

FMCSA has maintained a minimum of 50% for controlled substances and 10% for alcohol in recent years, but rates are reviewed and can change, and other DOT agencies set their own. IPS tracks the published rate for your agency and adjusts your selections automatically.

No. A single driver cannot form a scientifically valid random pool and must join a consortium. This is one of the most frequently cited findings against small carriers.

Send them to the nearest of our 1500+ collection sites. If a test genuinely cannot be completed in the cycle, the reason must be documented at the time and the test completed on their return. We chase and document this for you.

Yes. DOT rules require selections to be reasonably spread throughout the calendar year. Running all your tests in Q4 to catch up is itself a finding, even if you finish the year at the correct percentage.

A full query before hiring any CDL driver, and at least one query per year for every CDL driver you employ. Missing the annual query puts every affected driver technically out of compliance.

A full query returns detailed violation information and needs the driver's electronic consent inside the Clearinghouse. A limited query only reveals whether information exists and needs written consent you retain. If a limited query indicates information exists, you must run a full query within 24 hours before the driver performs safety-sensitive functions.

Yes. Owner-operators subject to FMCSA rules must designate a Consortium/Third Party Administrator to report violations on their behalf, because they cannot self-report. IPS performs this role for hundreds of owner-operators.

No. You must still obtain the applicant's DOT testing history from previous DOT-regulated employers for the past three years. The two requirements cover different periods and different information.

They are immediately removed from safety-sensitive duty, the violation is reported to the Clearinghouse, and you must provide them with a list of qualified Substance Abuse Professionals. They cannot perform safety-sensitive work for any DOT employer until the full return-to-duty process is complete.

The SAP sets the schedule, with a minimum of six directly observed tests in the first 12 months. The SAP may extend follow-up testing for up to five years. See SAP program setup.

Yes. Every DOT collection produces two bottles, and the employee has 72 hours from being notified of a verified positive to request testing of the split specimen at a different certified laboratory. Our MRO explains this right at verification.

No. DOT rules require you to remove them from safety-sensitive duty, report the violation and provide the SAP list. Whether you return them to work afterwards is your decision as an employer — but the reporting and referral obligations apply either way.

Yes. An IPS compliance specialist sits with you through the drug and alcohol portion of the review. Clients name this more than anything else when they refer other carriers to us.

Generally one year for negatives, five years for verified positives, refusals, alcohol results of 0.02 or higher and SAP documentation, and two years for records of the collection process. IPS retains these and produces them on request.

A rehearsal of the real compliance review, run by IPS on a sample of your drivers, ending in a written, severity-ranked gap report and a remediation plan. It is the cheapest way to find out what an investigator would find.

Tell us immediately. Reconstructing historic records takes time and there are established routes to recover much of it — but the week before an audit is not when to start. See compliance audits.