Drug and Alcohol Compliance Management for Contractors
Your employees can’t work the job until they’re in the right drug and alcohol program, and every operator can have different requirements. Cascade QMS manages DOT and Non-DOT drug and alcohol compliance for contractors: DISA, NCMS and TPS Alert (Alert by TEAM) accounts, employee enrollment, testing coordination through your provider, background checks, policies and supervisor training. Don’t reinvent the wheel. We know these systems and help you get the paperwork right the first time.
✓ DOT & Non-DOT programs✓ DISA, NCMS & TPS Alert✓ Setup + a full year of management
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A customer just told you your crew needs to be in DISA, or that you need a DOT drug and alcohol program before you can start work, or that NCMS has to approve your plan. Now you’re trying to work out which program applies, who your employees have to be enrolled with, and what paperwork the hiring client actually wants to see.
That’s the part we handle. Here’s what’s involved, and how it fits with the prequalification account your customer already asked for.
What drug and alcohol compliance management includes
Requirement Review
Whether your work is DOT-regulated, which hiring-client or site programs apply, and which employees must be covered.
DISA, NCMS & TPS Alert Accounts
Account setup, employee enrollment, documentation and audits in the monitoring programs your operators require.
Employee Enrollment
New hires enrolled and your covered-employee roster kept current.
Testing Coordination
Testing coordinated through your existing provider, consortium or TPA, or a new program set up if you need one.
Background & History Checks
Background checks, employment verification and DOT drug and alcohol history checks.
Written Policies
DOT and Non-DOT drug and alcohol policies built around your work and your hiring clients.
Supervisor Training
Reasonable-suspicion training coordinated, with records kept for audits.
Ongoing Monitoring
Drug and alcohol documentation kept current in ISNetworld®, Avetta® and Veriforce®.
Getting the right employees into the right DOT or Non-DOT program matters for both company and employee compliance, especially in ISNetworld® and Veriforce®. Getting the details wrong delays qualifications and jobsite access. We identify operator expectations, coordinate testing, verify documentation and guide you through initial compliance.
Priced to include initial setup and a full year of ongoing management, including applicable client portal compliance management.
Do contractors need a DOT drug and alcohol program?
Only if your employees perform safety-sensitive work regulated by a DOT agency. The two that affect most of our clients are FMCSA, which covers CDL drivers under 49 CFR Part 382, and PHMSA, which covers employees who perform operation, maintenance or emergency-response functions on regulated pipelines and LNG facilities under 49 CFR Part 199. Both follow the testing procedures in 49 CFR Part 40.
Pipeline work is where contractors get caught off guard. PHMSA’s rules allow a contractor to run its own testing program, but the pipeline operator remains responsible for making sure that program complies with Part 199. That’s why operators audit their contractors’ plans before work starts, and why your customer may send you to a monitoring service like NCMS.
If your work isn’t DOT-regulated, you may still need a drug and alcohol program. Many owners and hiring clients set their own testing requirements as a condition of site access.
What's the difference between DOT and Non-DOT testing?
DOT testing is required by federal regulation for covered employees and must follow Part 40 procedures exactly. Non-DOT testing is set by your hiring client, the site owner or your own company policy. It can test for different substances, use different methods, and apply to employees who aren’t DOT-covered.
The two have to stay separate. DOT tests are only for DOT-covered employees, so a program that mixes them up creates problems in an audit. Many contractors need both: a DOT program for drivers or pipeline workers, and a Non-DOT program to meet a refinery’s or plant’s site-access requirements.
What are the 2026 random testing rates?
| DOT agency | Who it covers | 2026 random drug rate | 2026 random alcohol rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMCSA | CDL drivers | 50% | 10% |
| PHMSA | Pipeline and LNG covered employees | 50% | No random alcohol testing |
These are minimum annual rates, based on the average number of covered employees in your random pool. PHMSA raised its rate from 25% to 50% for 2025 and kept it at 50% for 2026. Rates can change each year, so we confirm them against DOT’s published notices before each calendar year.
Don't reinvent the wheel. Talk to us before you start.
Send us the invitation, site requirements or operator letter your customer sent you. We’ll tell you which programs apply, which employees need to be covered and what’s missing, so you can skip the weeks of learning systems and correcting submissions. The review is free.
What is DISA, and why do sites require it?
DISA Global Solutions runs the DISA Contractors Consortium, a drug testing and screening program that participating facility owners require their contractors to join. Many refining, chemical, petrochemical and oil and gas sites use it. DISA says enrolled contractors can get reciprocity across participating sites, including NASAP sites, which can cut down on duplicate testing when your crews move between owners.
If a site requires DISA, your company and each worker going onsite generally have to be enrolled and in good standing before they can badge in. We set up and manage that account, enroll employees and keep their status current so nobody gets turned away at the gate.
What is NCMS?
National Compliance Management Service (NCMS) monitors contractor drug and alcohol programs on behalf of pipeline operators. When an operator uses NCMS, contractors submit their DOT anti-drug and alcohol misuse prevention plans and testing data for review, and NCMS determines whether the program is compliant. NCMS also shares that status with ISNetworld® for operators that use both.
We manage NCMS audits for our clients. See our NCMS® Management Plan for details.
What is TPS Alert (Alert by TEAM)?
TPS Alert, now known as Alert by TEAM, is a drug and alcohol compliance monitoring system that helps contractors meet operator-specific DOT and Non-DOT testing requirements. Many contractors and operators still call it TPS Alert. In 2026 TEAM became part of DISA Global Solutions, and the platform now goes by Alert. Like NCMS, it reviews contractor drug and alcohol programs against what each operator requires.
There’s no need to spend valuable time learning another compliance system. We handle account setup, employee enrollment, documentation, audits and ongoing compliance management, and because we already know the process, we help you avoid the common mistakes that cause delays in the initial review.
How do drug and alcohol requirements show up in ISNetworld, Avetta and Veriforce?
Hiring clients often check your drug and alcohol status as part of prequalification. Depending on the client, that can mean uploading your policy, answering drug and alcohol questions in your questionnaire, or having a monitoring service’s status feed into your account, the way NCMS status feeds into ISNetworld. A gap on the drug and alcohol side can hold down an otherwise complete account.
Because we manage the account and the drug and alcohol program together, we can see those gaps and fix them in one place. Learn more about our ISNetworld® Management Plan, Avetta® Management Plan and Veriforce® Management Plan.
What is a DOT drug and alcohol history check?
Before a new hire performs DOT safety-sensitive work, the employer has to check that person’s drug and alcohol testing history with previous DOT-regulated employers from the past two years, under 49 CFR 40.25. FMCSA-regulated employers meet this requirement through the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse: a full query before hiring a CDL driver and at least an annual query for every driver on staff.
These checks are easy to miss when you’re hiring quickly for a new job. We handle the requests and keep the records so they’re ready when an auditor or hiring client asks.
Do supervisors need drug and alcohol training?
Yes, for DOT programs. Under FMCSA rules, supervisors who make reasonable-suspicion decisions for drivers need at least 60 minutes of training on alcohol misuse and 60 minutes on controlled substances (49 CFR 382.603). PHMSA has its own supervisor training requirements in Part 199. Hiring clients often ask for proof that the training happened, so we coordinate it and keep the records.
How Cascade QMS manages your drug and alcohol compliance
Send us the invitation, the site requirements or the operator’s letter. We’ll tell you which programs apply, which employees need to be covered and what’s missing, before you spend hours figuring it out.
Consortium enrollment, monitoring-service accounts, written policies and supervisor training.
New hires get enrolled and checked, testing documentation stays current, and your prequalification accounts reflect it.
Get a free drug and alcohol requirements review
For contractor owners, safety managers and program administrators. Send us what your customer sent you. We’ll review it and tell you exactly what your company and your crew need to get on site, with no cost and no obligation.
Cascade QMS
Frequently Asked Questions
ISNetworld® itself doesn’t set the requirement. Your hiring clients do. Some require a DOT program, some require a specific consortium or monitoring service, and some only ask for a written policy.
Yes. We develop DOT and Non-DOT drug and alcohol policies based on the regulations that apply to your work and what your hiring clients require.
Yes. Most of our clients keep their existing provider, consortium or Third-Party Administrator (TPA). We coordinate testing through them, verify the documentation and make sure it shows up correctly in each operator’s system.
No. Cascade QMS doesn’t physically perform testing. We coordinate testing through your existing testing provider, consortium or TPA, and we can help you establish a testing program if you don’t have one.
Monitoring employee testing requirements, coordinating necessary updates, maintaining compliance documentation, managing applicable client portals, and keeping you aligned with changing operator expectations throughout the year.
Our drug and alcohol compliance services are priced to include initial setup and one full year of ongoing management, along with applicable client portal compliance management. Pricing depends on the systems involved, your employee count and the scope of services. Testing fees, third-party provider charges and platform membership fees are separate unless your quote specifically includes them. The first review of your requirements is free. Use the form or call 1-855-792-5722.
We’re not able to help with individual test results, accounts or records. We work with contractor companies to manage their programs. Please contact your employer’s program administrator or the testing provider directly.
This page is general information about DOT and Non-DOT drug and alcohol requirements, not legal advice. Regulations and random testing rates change; confirm current requirements with the applicable DOT agency and your hiring client. Cascade QMS is independent and is not affiliated with DISA, NCMS, TEAM/TPS Alert, ISNetworld®, Avetta®, Veriforce® or any hiring client.