CivilPsych Services

DOT SAP evaluations by live video

Get back to work after a DOT drug or alcohol violation

I can schedule your SAP evaluation any day of the week, usually within 24 hours. If you're available, you can often be seen the same day you call. The evaluation is done by live video from anywhere in the United States, so there is no office to drive to.

Call (870) 219-6312 Text to schedule
  • Dr. Heath
  • Ph.D. Neuropsychology
  • Ph.D. Forensic Psychology
  • DOT-qualified SAP, 49 CFR Part 40
  • 40+ years of cognitive behavioral work

How it goes

For drivers and other safety-sensitive employees under 49 CFR Part 40.

A positive test or a refusal takes you off safety-sensitive work. You can't go back until a SAP evaluates you and you complete the plan. Here is how it goes with me.

  1. Initial evaluationA distance-based assessment by live video, with real-time audio and picture as Part 40 requires. Appointments run weekdays 7 AM to 5 PM. Weekends are by appointment, at a different rate.
  2. Your planYou complete the education or treatment the evaluation calls for. I keep your employer's DER informed along the way.
  3. Follow-up evaluationWhen the plan is done, a second video evaluation determines whether you have complied. That finding is what clears you for your return-to-duty test.
  4. ReportsSent to your DER within 24 hours once the information is complete, with Clearinghouse reporting where it applies.

SAP evaluations are paid by you or your employer, with no insurance to wait on. Calls are returned within 4 hours, usually sooner. Every call and email with your employer about your case is included.

Before you call: have your DER's name and phone number, the date of your test and a phone or computer with a camera.

An evaluation older than 90 days is no longer valid and has to be redone.

Can I do the evaluation from my truck?

Yes, if you can park somewhere private with a steady connection. The video and sound have to be clear enough for a full evaluation.

What happens after the follow-up evaluation?

You take a return-to-duty test. Once you're back at work, you'll have unannounced follow-up tests: at least six in your first 12 months.

My employer let me go. Do I still need a SAP?

Yes. The violation follows you to any DOT employer. Completing the process is how you clear it.

Call to schedule your evaluation Text instead

Return to duty, step by step

What 49 CFR Part 40 requires, from the violation to your last follow-up test.

  1. Off safety-sensitive workA DOT drug or alcohol violation, such as a verified positive test or a refusal to test, takes you off safety-sensitive work for every DOT employer until you finish the SAP process. (49 CFR 40.285)
  2. A list of SAPsYour employer has to give you the names and contact information of DOT-qualified SAPs, even if they let you go. (40.287)
  3. Initial evaluationA face-to-face clinical assessment, in person or by live video with real-time audio and picture. The SAP decides what education or treatment you need. (40.291)
  4. Education or treatmentYou complete what the SAP recommends. You can't go to a second SAP to get a different recommendation. (40.293 and 40.295)
  5. Follow-up evaluationThe same SAP decides whether you complied with the plan and sends the report to your employer's DER. (40.301 and 40.311)
  6. Return-to-duty testWhether you go back to work is your employer's decision. If they put you back, you take a return-to-duty test under direct observation. A drug test has to come back negative, and an alcohol test below 0.02. (40.305 and 40.67)
  7. Follow-up testingThe SAP sets a schedule of unannounced, directly observed tests: at least six in your first 12 months back, and it can run up to five years. The schedule stays with you if you change DOT employers. (40.307)

For FMCSA-regulated drivers, the SAP also records the initial assessment and the compliance finding in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (49 CFR 382.705).

This is a plain summary of the federal rules, not legal advice. Your employer's DER can tell you how their policy applies.

Call to start with step 3 Text instead

For employers and DERs

Refer a driver and get them back on the schedule.

  • Initial evaluations usually within 24 hours of your driver's call
  • Reports to you within 24 hours once the information is complete
  • Clearinghouse reporting where it applies
  • Calls returned within 4 hours

Call (870) 219-6312 or email [email protected] to refer a driver.

Schedule

Texting is often the fastest way onto the schedule.

Call(870) 219-6312Returned within 4 hours, usually sooner.
Text(870) 219-6312Send your name and the best time to reach you.
Email[email protected]Good for employers and DERs.

Please leave test results and health details out of texts and email. We'll cover them privately at your evaluation.