2025 FRA Random Testing Rates Announced
2025 FRA Random Testing Rates
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published that the minimum annual random testing rates for calendar year 2025 will remain the same as those for calendar year 2024. Published in the January 3, 2025 Federal Register the FRA set the minimum random testing rates as:
- Covered Service employees—25 percent for drugs and 10 percent for alcohol.
- Maintenance of Way (MOW) employees—25 percent for drugs and 10 percent for alcohol.
- Mechanical (MECH) employees—50 percent for drugs and 25 percent for alcohol.
The FRA can adjust the minimum random drug and alcohol testing rates annually based on the reported positive rate of the industry’s random drug and alcohol tests. In accordance with 49 CFR Part 219.625(d)(1) if the reported positive random drug testing rate is below one (1) percent for two consecutive years, the FRA may lower the random drug testing rate to 25% for all covered employees. Conversely, 49 CFR Part 219.625(d)(2) requires the FRA to raise the minimum random drug testing rate from 25% to 50% for all covered employees when the latest reported positive random drug testing rate is equal or greater than one (1) percent.
49 CFR Part 219.625(e)(1) states if the reported violation rate for random alcohol testing rate is below one (0.5) percent for two consecutive years, the FRA may lower the random alcohol testing rate to 10% for all covered employees. Conversely, 49 CFR Part 219.625(e)(2) requires the FRA to raise the minimum random alcohol testing rate from 10% to 25% for all covered employees when the latest reported violation rate for random alcohol testing rate is equal or greater than one (0.5) percent.
The industry-wide random drug testing positive rate for both Covered Service employees and Maintenance of Way employees remained below 1.0 percent for 2022 and 2023. The FRA has therefore determined the minimum annual random drug testing rate for both Covered Service employees and Maintenance of Way employees will remain at 25 percent for the period January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
The industry-wide random alcohol testing violation rate for both Covered Service employees and Maintenance of Way employees remained below 0.5 percent for 2022 and 2023. The FRA has therefore determined the minimum random alcohol testing rate for both Covered Service employees and Maintenance of Way employees will remain at 10 percent for the period January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
Since Mechanical employees did not become subject to FRA random drug and alcohol testing until March 2022, the FRA will not have the two full years of industry-wide MIS data required to adjust the random testing rates for Mechanical employees until it has the MIS data for 2024. The FRA has therefore determined that the minimum random rates for Mechanical employees will remain at 50 percent for drugs and 25 percent for alcohol for the period January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
The 2025 Random Testing Rates for all U.S. Department of Transportation modes can be found at Random Testing Rates | US Department of Transportation
About AZC Drug Testing
AZC Drug Testing is a leading provider of FRA drug & alcohol testing services. We offer consortium and custom drug and alcohol testing programs. Our consortium program is ideal for smaller railroad companies and companies providing Maintenance of Way and Mechanical services to the railroads who lack a sufficient number of employees for a random testing pool. We also offer customized solutions, complete with everything your company needs to stay in compliance—from an FRA-aligned anti-drug plan and written policy to employee and supervisor training. Learn more about AZC Drug Testing’s FRA Services.
