Fleet Safety: Driver Hours, Drug and Alcohol Rules questions for the CSP
CSP11 Domain 1: Advanced Application of Safety Principles (1.5 Fleet safety (fatigue, driving under the influence)). 3 free questions below. Every answer quotes and links the regulation paragraph it rests on.
Regulations covered
- 49 CFR 382.201 Alcohol concentration.
- 49 CFR 382.301 Pre-employment testing.How this section is tested
- 49 CFR 395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles.
Text pulled from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14.
Question 1
A driver for a carrier that runs vehicles seven days a week has been behind the wheel since 6:00 a.m. with no breaks of any kind. At 2:15 p.m., 8 hours and 15 minutes of driving time have passed. He is well within his 11-hour and 14-hour limits and does not qualify for a short-haul exception. What must happen before he can drive again?
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Answer: C. He must take at least a consecutive 30-minute interruption in driving status, which may be on-duty not driving time
Driving is not permitted once more than 8 hours of driving time have passed without at least a consecutive 30-minute interruption in driving status. That interruption can be off-duty, sleeper berth, on-duty not driving time, or a combination. A 10-hour or 34-hour break is not required for this purpose.
Answer C rests on
49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Except for drivers who qualify for either of the short-haul exceptions in § 395.1(e)(1) or (2), driving is not permitted if more than 8 hours of driving time have passed without at least a consecutive 30-minute interruption in driving status.”
Question 2
A regional hauler occasionally brings in an owner-operator CDL driver, who is not an employee, to cover peak loads; he has driven for the company about three times in the past year. Before his upcoming assignment, the company's records show it last collected his drug and alcohol testing program information seven months ago. The driver now says he left his previous carrier and is not currently in any DOT testing program, and the company cannot verify that he is participating in a controlled substances testing program that complies with parts 382 and 40. Which action does the standard require before the company uses him to drive?
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Answer: D. Conduct a pre-employment controlled substances test, because the company cannot verify his participation in a compliant testing program
For a driver used more than once a year but not employed, the employer must obtain the verification information at least every six months, and if it cannot verify participation in a compliant program it must conduct a pre-employment controlled substances test. A reasonable-suspicion test depends on observed behavior and does not replace this requirement, and the guidance does not allow waiting on random testing or an unverified statement.
Answer D rests on
49 CFR 382.301(c)(2)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“An employer who uses, but does not employ a driver more than once a year to operate commercial motor vehicles must obtain the information in paragraph (c)(1) of this section at least once every six months. The records prepared under this paragraph shall be maintained in accordance with § 382.401. If the employer cannot verify that the driver is participating in a controlled substances testing program in accordance with this part and part 40 of this title, the employer shall conduct a pre-employment controlled substances test.”
Question 3
A carrier wants to hire a driver without giving a new pre-employment controlled substances test. The driver was in a Part 40-conforming DOT testing program within the last 30 days and was tested through it four months before applying. While reviewing her history, the carrier learns that a previous employer it knows about holds a record of her controlled substances violation from three months ago. Her current program has provided verification of her participation. May the carrier rely on the exception to skip the pre-employment test?
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Answer: D. No, because the exception requires the carrier to ensure that no known prior employer has a violation record from the previous six months, and one does
The exception has several conditions, and one is that the employer ensures no known prior employer has a record of a violation within the previous six months. A violation record from three months ago defeats that condition, so the carrier must test. Meeting the testing-history conditions or obtaining program verification does not cure it.
Answer D rests on
49 CFR 382.301(b)(3)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(3) The employer ensures that no prior employer of the driver of whom the employer has knowledge has records of a violation of this part or the controlled substances use rule of another DOT agency within the previous six months.”
12 more fleet safety: driver hours, drug and alcohol rules questions in the full CSP bank
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