newsUpdates

December 2007

Questions & Answers

Question:
On a direct observation, and the collector is not of the same gender, does the replacing witness for the collection have to be an employee of the collection site? Can the hospital janitor be the witness if the person is the same gender?

Answer:
In a direct observation, “if the collector is not the same gender as the donor, an observer of the same gender must be selected. The observer may be another collector of the proper gender, an employee representative of the same gender or anyone other than a co-worker of the donor or an employee under the supervision of the donor.”

Tough Times for Our Industry

As our 2008 client renewal documentation and payments are being processed, we too are certainly seeing the effects of a slowing economy, especially construction. Many of our long time clients are retiring early, where as others have sold their trucks and are driving for someone else, moved out of state, gone out of business or choose another profession.

Fortunately, we have been able to continue to experience new business growth with our expansion into more types of transportation industries and a national marketing agenda.

Once again, I would like to remind those that have not returned their 2008 Renewal documents that all accounts expire on December 31st. Any time you are currently driving in a safety sensitive position you are required to be in a random testing program, so if you let it lapse, as of January 1st you would be considered out of compliance per DOT requirements. In addition, if there is more than a 30-day lapse before your re-enrollment, these drivers would be required to perform a pre-employment drug screen; this also applies to owner-operators!

A non-random drug screen will cost our clients an additional $56, so it pays to have your renewals completed prior to the end of the year.

Renewals are processed in the order they are received, so to ensure you will have your 2008 AADT Enrollment Certificate by December 31st, you need to get your renewal in to us by December 15th. We had mailed out over 7,200 renewal notices, so you can see that processing this many clients creates a very busy period for us each year at this time. We have many clients calling in a panic around December 26th because their broker is holding their payment until they supply proof of enrollment in a random drug and alcohol testing program for the next year.

Another thing to keep in mind is all paperwork must be properly complete. So far, this year, we have had 30% of the renewals returned incomplete. Each time that happens we have to attempt to contact the client and/or mail or fax the paperwork back to be completed.
We have received many comments from our client’s stating, “Well I see you have a new name, so now you want us fill out more paperwork!” When in all actuality this is the third year that the Service Agreement is a requirement to complete the renewal. The AADT name has not required any changes on the client’s end with the exception of new ID cards which everyone will be receiving in their 2008 Renewal Packets. A new Service Agreement is required each year due to periodical changes in procedures, requirements and in some cases changes of ownership or designated employer representative.

Remember, we are here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. The first mail-out of the 2008 Renewals Packets were sent on November 19th, the second mail out was on November 30th. If you had sent back your renewal prior to November 28th and have not received your 2008 Renewal Packet please contact our office at (800) 820-9314.

All of us at AADT/C-DATA would like to sincerely thank each and everyone for their continuous support and referrals. We would also like to extend our Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

When Must the Employer
Direct an Observed Collection?

As an employer, you must direct an immediate collection under direct observation with no advance notice to the employee if:

What to Do When
You Lose Your Wallet

During the holiday season although this is suppose to be a joyous time of year, unfortunately it is also a time of year when many thieves are preying on the unexpected or the inattentive. Losing your wallet can be a frightening feeling.

Your whole life was in there – not just your photo and home address, but, technically, the permission to use your vehicles (driver’s license), your access to medical care (insurance card), your source of entertainment (gift cards, library cards, etc.), and your buying power (credit and ATM cards). Hopefully your Social Security card and passport were not in the mix. But still, this is enough loss from one’s life to cause major inconvenience.

Not only do you have to suffer through the aggravation of replacing your wallet’s contents, but you also have to explain to your credit card companies and the credit bureaus that was not you going on a wild shopping spree or an elite vacation at only the top resort and lavish restaurants and that also was not you that applied for all those new credit cards.

Here’s a guide on how you may be able to stop some of the downfall and save yourself a major headache and expense.

 

Note that throughout this article, when I refer to the applicable federal regulations, I’m referring to CFR 49, Parts 40 & 382; these regulations can be found in Section 5 of the AADT Company Compliance Manual or in the AADT website at www.aadrugtesing.com under links at DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance at www.dot.gov/ost/dapc or Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at www.fmcsa.dot.gov.