The five DOT agencies covered here all require random drug testing, and four of them require random alcohol testing too. They share a framework but not a rate. A trucking company, a commuter airline and a pipeline operator can each be running a 2026 program that is correct for them and wrong for each other. This page puts the numbers side by side, then covers the rules that every agency shares and the places where they split.
Quick facts
- Agencies compared
- FMCSA (trucking), FAA (aviation), FTA (public transit), FRA (railroads) and PHMSA (pipelines).
- Highest 2026 drug rate
- 50%: FMCSA, FTA, PHMSA, and FRA mechanical employees.
- Lowest 2026 drug rate
- 25%: FAA, and FRA covered service and maintenance-of-way.
- Alcohol
- 10% at FMCSA, FAA, FTA and FRA. PHMSA does not require random alcohol testing.
- Where rates are listed
- DOT’s Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance keeps the master table.
2026 minimum random testing rates at a glance
| Agency | Rule | Drug | Alcohol | Rate notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FMCSA | 49 CFR § 382.305 | 50% | 10% | No new notice; unchanged since 2020 |
| FAA | 14 CFR Part 120 | 25% | 10% | 90 FR 56249 (Dec. 5, 2025) |
| FTA | 49 CFR Part 655 | 50% | 10% | Doc. 2026-00644 (Jan. 15, 2026) |
| FRA | 49 CFR Part 219 | 25% covered service and maintenance-of-way; 50% mechanical | 10% | 91 FR 759 (Jan. 8, 2026) |
| PHMSA | 49 CFR Part 199 | 50% | None required | 90 FR 57129 (Dec. 9, 2025) |
All rates are annual minimums, applied to the average number of covered employees. An employer can always test at a higher rate.
The selection rules are close to identical across agencies, which is why one well-run process can serve several of them.
- Selections use a scientifically valid method, such as a random number table or a computer random number generator matched to identifiers like payroll numbers.
- Every covered employee has an equal chance of being selected each time a draw is made, whether or not he or she was selected before.
- Testing is unannounced and spread reasonably throughout the calendar year.
- A selected employee goes to the collection site immediately, or as soon as possible when performing a safety-sensitive function.
- Only covered employees belong in the pool, and all of them do. FMCSA and the FAA state that outright.
Where there is an alcohol test, FMCSA and FTA limit random alcohol tests to the time an employee is performing safety-sensitive functions, just before, or just after. Drug tests are not limited in that way.
How the rates move from year to year
Each agency publishes its rates annually in the Federal Register, effective January 1 of the following year, and sets them from industry-wide results that employers report through the MIS. The logic is the same everywhere for drug testing: a 50 percent rate can fall to 25 percent after two consecutive years with a positive rate under 1.0 percent, and a 25 percent rate returns to 50 percent when any year reaches 1.0 percent or more.
Alcohol is where the agencies differ. FMCSA, FTA and FRA use thresholds at 0.5 and 1.0 percent to step the alcohol rate between 10, 25 and 50 percent. PHMSA has no random alcohol rate at all. The FAA’s December 2025 notice measured its alcohol violation rate against a 0.50 percent threshold.
FRA adds a wrinkle: it sets separate rates for each category of employee, and a newly added category begins at 50 percent for drugs and 25 percent for alcohol and stays on its own track for at least three years. That is why mechanical employees are at 50 percent for drug testing in 2026 while covered service is at 25.
Check the rate every January. A rate on a compliance checklist is only as current as the checklist. The master table is on the DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance site, and each agency’s notice is the primary source.
Who is covered, agency by agency
| Agency | Covered employees |
|---|---|
| FMCSA | Drivers of commercial motor vehicles who hold or are required to hold a CDL, including part-time drivers. Single-driver owner-operators join a consortium. |
| FAA | Employees performing nine safety-sensitive functions listed in § 120.105, from flight crew and attendants to dispatchers, maintenance, screeners, air traffic control and operations control specialists, including contract workers at any tier. |
| FTA | Employees of recipients, subrecipients, operators and contractors who operate or maintain revenue service vehicles, dispatch them, operate CDL-required nonrevenue vehicles, or carry firearms for security. |
| FRA | Regulated employees in three categories: covered service, maintenance-of-way and mechanical, including contractor employees and volunteers who aren’t in an accepted program. |
| PHMSA | Anyone performing an operations, maintenance or emergency-response function regulated under 49 CFR Part 192, 193 or 195, including contractors. |
Employers and employees under more than one agency
Overlap is common. A utility with CDL drivers and pipeline technicians, a railroad with a trucking subsidiary, or a transit agency that runs its own CDL fleet can all end up with employees under two sets of rules. The agencies handle it the same way.
- An employee covered by more than one agency is tested at the rate of the agency that regulates more than 50 percent of that employee’s functions.
- An employer under several agencies can keep separate pools by required rate, or test everyone at the highest applicable rate.
- If the pool mixes employees from different agencies, every member of the pool is tested at the highest minimum rate that applies to any of them.
- FRA adds a limit: a railroad can’t place the same employee in more than one DOT random testing pool for its regulated service.
- The FAA adds a records rule: an employer under multiple agencies has to give each agency access to its random testing records.
How long to keep records, compared
| Agency | Positives and refusals | Collection and selection records | Negatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMCSA (§ 382.401) | 5 years | 2 years; random selection documents are named | 1 year |
| FTA (§ 655.71) | 5 years | 2 years for collection-process records; selection documents not named | 1 year |
| PHMSA (§ 199.117) | 5 years for verified positives | 3 years for collection-process records; selection documents not named | 1 year |
| FRA (§ 219.623) | At least 2 years for random testing records, as provided by § 219.901 | ||
| FAA (§ 120.111) | See § 120.111 for the schedule | ||
When a schedule doesn’t name selection documents, the cautious course is to keep them at least as long as the collection-process records. An employer under several agencies is usually better off applying the longest period to everything.
Questions people ask
Which DOT agencies require random alcohol testing?
FMCSA, FAA, FTA and FRA each have a 2026 random alcohol testing rate of 10 percent. PHMSA does not require random alcohol testing under 49 CFR Part 199; its random testing rule covers drugs only.
Which agency has the lowest 2026 random drug testing rate?
The FAA, at 25 percent, and FRA for covered service and maintenance-of-way employees, also at 25 percent. FMCSA, FTA and PHMSA are at 50 percent, as are FRA mechanical employees.
What if an employee is covered by two DOT agencies?
The employee is tested at the rate of the agency that regulates more than 50 percent of the employee's safety-sensitive functions. The employer can keep separate pools by rate or test everyone at the highest rate.
Where can I find the current random testing rates?
The DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance publishes a table of each agency's minimum annual random testing rates, and each agency publishes its own notice in the Federal Register.
When do new random testing rates take effect?
Rates are set by annual agency notices and take effect January 1 of the following year, so an employer should check for changes each December and January.
Sources
- DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance: random testing rates
- FAA: 90 FR 56249 (Federal Register, December 5, 2025)
- FRA: 91 FR 759 (Federal Register, January 8, 2026)
- FTA: Federal Register document 2026-00644
- PHMSA: 90 FR 57129 (Federal Register, December 9, 2025)
- 49 CFR § 382.305, FMCSA random testing (Cornell LII)
- 49 CFR § 655.45, FTA random testing (Cornell LII)
- 49 CFR § 199.105, PHMSA drug tests (eCFR)
- 14 CFR § 120.109, FAA random testing (eCFR)
- 49 CFR Part 219, Subpart G, FRA random testing (Cornell LII)
This page summarizes federal rules for general information. It is not legal advice, and it can lag behind a rule change. Check the regulation and your agency's current notices before you rely on any figure here.
