A DOT random testing program comes down to one job done correctly every period: draw drivers from the pool in a way nobody can call biased, and keep proof that you did. DTSMS Online runs the draw, locks the result, and keeps the paperwork.
Under 49 CFR 382.305, an employer picks drivers for random testing with a scientifically valid method, such as a computer-based random number generator. Every driver in the pool has an equal chance of being picked each time. The test dates have to be spread reasonably across the calendar year, and testing is unannounced.
FMCSA sets the annual minimum rates. For 2026 they are unchanged: 50% of the average number of driver positions for drug testing and 10% for alcohol. The Department of Transportation publishes the current figures on its random testing rates page.
Not sure who counts as covered? See who belongs in the pool. Once a driver is picked, the clock starts: see the guide to DOT random drug test time limits. Picking names by hand, or from a spreadsheet column someone sorted last week, is where programs get into trouble during an audit. A recorded draw is much easier to defend.
The whole process takes a few minutes once your drivers are loaded.
Upload your CDL roster or add drivers one at a time. Every active driver is in the eligible pool unless you have marked them inactive, so nobody is skipped by accident.
The draw is computer-generated and sized to your testing rate. Drug and alcohol selections run separately against the full pool. The eligible pool is captured and locked at the moment you pull.
Export or print the notification for each selected driver. Every notification is timestamped, and the selection record cannot be edited afterward, even by an account admin.
Want the longer walkthrough, including how this compares with a spreadsheet, desktop software and a TPA? See how it works.
The draw is one piece of the program. The same account keeps a status history for each driver from notification through result, and holds records for the full retention window under 49 CFR 382.401. It tracks when each driver's FMCSA Clearinghouse queries are due and stores the signed consent. It also builds the annual DOT MIS report from the selections and test records you have already entered. The compliance overview explains how each of these holds up in an audit.
A small carrier can run its own selections without paying a coordination fee. A safety manager with several terminals can keep employees under FMCSA, FTA, FAA, FRA or PHMSA rules in separate pools, each with its own staff permissions.
Consortiums and third-party administrators manage all their client companies in a single account. They can run one pool-wide selection across the member companies and get a separate billing statement for each client. Every member company manages only its own drivers.
If you would rather keep everything on one computer, DTSMS also comes as a Windows program. See DTSMS desktop software for that version.
Your first selection is free at any pool size, and no card is needed. After that it is $5 per driver per month for the first 25 drivers, $4 for drivers 26 through 100, and $3 beyond that. Billing is monthly with no flat fee and no contract. TPAs get their own rates. The pricing page has a calculator that shows your exact number.
DTSMS Online is made by Btwixt Group. The software descends from RDT, a random drug testing program first released in 1988, which went through eight major revisions before it became the Drug Testing Software Management Suite. You can read more on the about page.
Each selection is computer-generated and logged with the method used and the pool exactly as it stood when you pulled. The rule itself is 49 CFR 382.305. DTSMS Online is not a substitute for a DOT consultant or attorney if your program has unusual circumstances, such as a multi-employer consortium or a recent violation.
Yes. Drug and alcohol selections are run independently against the full eligible pool, each at its own rate. They are not drawn one after the other from the same pull.
No. Pools can be set up by DOT agency, so employees under FMCSA, FTA, FAA, FRA or PHMSA rules are kept apart and selected under the rules that apply to them.
A list of your DOT-covered drivers. A CDL roster works, or you can add drivers one at a time. There is no setup call, and your first selection is free at any pool size.
Most companies pull monthly or quarterly so testing is spread through the year. The rule requires the annual rate to be met and the dates to be spread reasonably across the calendar year. One big batch at year-end can meet the letter of that, but it reads poorly to an auditor.
Your first selection is free, any pool size. No card, no sales call.