What is a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP)?

Certain employees in the transportation industry are subject to federal drug and alcohol use and testing regulations, under the federal Department of Transportation (DOT). An employee who violates these regulations must be immediately removed from safety-sensitive functions, and may not be returned to any safety-sensitive functions in the transportation industry until and unless he/she successfully completes a DOT return-to-duty process.

The service agent who is responsible for overseeing this process is a Substance Abuse Professional, or a SAP. DOT requires a SAP to have specific credentials, to have basic knowledge in specified content areas, to complete a comprehensive SAP training, and to satisfactorily complete a SAP exam.