FRA Announces 2026 Random Drug & Alcohol Testing Rates for Railroad Employees & Contractors

January 8, 2026 | azcdt | Drug Testing

Effective January 8, 2026 — The Federal Railroad Administration has set minimum random testing rates for the new calendar year. Railroad carriers and contractors subject to FRA Part 219 regulations must meet these minimums across three employee categories: Covered Service, Maintenance-of-Way (MOW), and Mechanical (MECH).

2026 Rates at a Glance

Covered Service Employees and Contractors
Drug: 25% | Alcohol: 10%
No change from 2025.

Maintenance-of-Way (MOW) Employees and Contractors
Drug: 25% | Alcohol: 10%
No change from 2025.

Mechanical (MECH) Employees and Contractors
Drug: 50% | Alcohol: 10%
Alcohol rate lowered from 25% to 10%.

View the complete Federal Register notice →

The only adjustment for 2026 is the reduction in the alcohol testing rate for Mechanical employees and contractors—dropping from 25 percent to 10 percent. Drug testing for MECH employees and contractors remains at 50 percent, reflecting industry-wide positive rates above the 1.0 percent threshold in 2023 and 2024.

How FRA Sets Annual Rates

FRA reviews the prior two complete calendar years of Management Information System (MIS) data submitted by railroads. If the industry-wide random drug positive rate stays below 1.0 percent, the Administrator may reduce the minimum drug testing rate to 25 percent. If the random alcohol violation rate remains below 0.5 percent, the minimum alcohol testing rate may drop to 10 percent.

For Covered Service and MOW employees and contractors, both drug and alcohol rates stayed below these thresholds in 2023 and 2024, so their minimums remain unchanged. MECH employees and contractors—who entered FRA random testing in 2022—now have two full years of MIS data. While drug positives exceeded 1.0 percent, alcohol violations stayed below 0.5 percent, triggering the 2026 reduction.

What Railroads Must Do

Meet the minimums. These are floor rates; you may test at higher percentages to support your safety culture and compliance posture.

Spread selections through the year. Randoms must be unannounced and distributed across all four quarters.

Document everything. FRA auditors expect proof of scientifically valid selections, timely notifications, completion tracking, and annual MIS submissions.

Keep pools accurate. Only safety-sensitive employees in the relevant category belong in each random pool. Separate Covered Service, MOW, and MECH populations—and never mix DOT and non-DOT employees or contractors.

AZCDT Manages FRA Programs End-to-End

AZCDT operates compliant FRA random programs for railroads of every size. We maintain distinct pools by employee category, run quarterly selections with proper statistical distribution, coordinate nationwide testing, track completions, and deliver annual MIS reports and audit packets.

What’s included:

Immediate enrollment and membership certificates
Quarterly random drug and alcohol selections for Covered Service, MOW, and Mechanical employees at the correct 2026 rates
All required random tests included in the annual fee
Nationwide collection site network
MRO review and secure results portal
Supervisor reasonable-suspicion training
Full audit support and documentation

Ready to streamline your 2026 FRA compliance?

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For answers to common questions about FRA testing programs, visit our Drug and Alcohol Testing FAQs.

To learn more about what sets AZC Drug Testing apart, explore Our Difference or read reviews from our clients.

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Reference: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 5 (January 8, 2026). FRA Docket No. FRA–2001–11213, Notice No. 30. Rates effective January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.Read the official FRA notice.