How Random Testing Consortium Works
                     How Random Testing Consortium 
Works? 
In order to test its members for drugs and alcohol in accordance with 
Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, companies or groups of 
employers form a consortium known as a drug screening consortium. Employees 
from the member companies are added to a pool for collective random testing. 
The selection process is managed and the pool is updated by the consortium 
administrator (eScreen). A consortium may only be joined by businesses with 50 
or fewer covered employees. 
In the context of drug testing, a consortium is typically a pool of random 
employers. Employees from each consortium member employer are added to 
the pool. All pool participants are drawn at random to participate in the alcohol 
and drug tests. A consortium random testing pool is required to include owner-
operators who are subject to regulation by any Department of Transportation 
(DOT) agency. 
 
Consortium and Standalone Random Testing 
Programs for DOT FMCSA Drug Testing: 
The maintenance of alcohol and drug testing programs, including random drug 
testing, is mandated for many transport and bus services. It is necessary to 
implement a consortium random testing program for owner-operators and 
smaller businesses. 
Owner-operators who are not allowed to manage random testing themselves 
have their Department of Transportation (DOT) random testing programs 
managed by the consortium. 
Random Drug Testing Along with Pre-Employment 
Testing Can Help to Create a Safer Workplace: 
Pre-employment testing is undoubtedly a useful evaluation tool, but random, ad 
hoc drug testing gives employers a useful tool to keep a lid on drug use and 
identify workers who passed the pre-employment test. Pre-employment and 
random drug testing together produce an even bigger and more powerful 
deterrent and a safer workplace than either one alone. 
Employment testing serves as the initial screening, preventing many drug 
addicts from applying in the first place, and random testing advances the 
objectives of a drug-free workplace program by offering additional incentives for 
workers to continue abstaining from illicit drugs. This aids employers in providing 
a secure working environment for their employees as well as for the general 
public. 
Employees who are impaired, especially those in positions where safety is crucial, 
present risks to both themselves and those around them. This is because 
impairment- causing drugs and alcohol can impair trying to think and reaction 
time, which can result in workplace accidents when workers are performing tasks 
that call for close attention to details and quick decisions. 
Benefits of Random and Pre-Employment Drug 
Testing: 
Pre-employment testing is a great barrier, but random testing is even more 
effective, according to research on deterrence rates between pre-employment 
and random testing. It frequently turns out that the parts are bigger than the 
whole. 
The same is true of drug tests. Pre-employment and random drug testing 
together increase workplace safety and serve as an even more effective 
deterrent than either one alone. 
Conclusion: 
One of the best investments a business can make is random drug testing, 
especially in light of the rapid rise in drug abuse and the increasing number of 
current drug users who are entering the workforce. With just one positive drug 
test, the ROI for a drug testing program is frequently simple to demonstrate, and 
that investment will immediately translate into a considerably better-looking 
bottom line.