§382.603 — Training for supervisors Each employer shall ensure that all persons designated to supervise drivers receive at least 60 minutes of training on alcohol misuse and receive at least 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.
§382.603 — DOT Regulatory Guidance
Question 1: Does §382.603 require employers to provide recurrent training to supervisory personnel? Guidance: No.
Question 2: May an employer accept proof of supervisory training for a supervisor from another employer? Guidance: Yes.
Question 3: Are the reasonable suspicion testing and training requirements of §§382.307 and 382.603 applicable to an owner-operator who is both an employer and the only employee? Guidance: No. The requirements of §§382.307 and 382.603 are not applicable to owner-operators in non-supervisory positions. §382.307 requires employers to have a driver submit to an alcohol and/or controlled substances test when the employer has reasonable suspicion to believe that the driver has violated the prohibitions of subpart B of part 382. Applying §382.307, Reasonable Suspicion Testing, to an owner-operator who is an employer and the only employee contradicts both "reason" and "suspicion" implicit in the title and the purpose of §382.307. A driver who has self-knowledge that he/she has violated the prohibitions of subpart B of part 382 is beyond mere suspicion. Furthermore, §382.603 requires "all persons designated to supervise drivers" to receive training that will enable him/her to determine whether reasonable suspicion exists to require a driver to undergo testing under §382.307. An owner-operator who does not hire or supervise other drivers is not in a supervisory position, no rare they subject to the testing requirements of §382.307. Therefore, such an owner-operator would not be subject to the training requirements of §382.603.