Before you apply for a job with FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, FedEx Freight, or FedEx Office, you’ll need an answer to the question—Does FedEx Drug Test?
In general, you should expect to take a drug test for most FedEx positions during the hiring process, and there may be ongoing drug tests depending on the branch of the company you’re working for and the type of position you hold.
In this guide, we’ll go over when you can expect to be asked to pass a pre-employment drug test at FedEx, what kind of drug test FedEx uses, and when you might be asked to take another drug test.
Does FedEx Drug Test Applicants For Driving Jobs in 2024?
If you’re applying for any kind of driving job with FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, or FedEx Express, you’ll have to pass a drug test.
Whether you want to be a delivery/pickup driver, freight driver, or yard switcher, you need to be able to pass a Department of Transportation (DOT) urine drug test.
If the driving job requires a CDL, you’ll also have a DOT file that will record any drug test failures as well as driving offenses. This DOT file is accessible to any other employer you apply to for driving work, so it’s vital that you keep away from drugs if you plan on having a long-term career as a driver.
Department of Transportation drug testing procedures looks likely to change fairly soon. The rule changes are being considered because some drivers have found ways to cheat drug tests. The DOT and employers want to tighten things up to make it more difficult for drug users to cheat on a drug test.
It’s common to see drivers bragging about cheating drug tests with substitute urine, but when the new rules come in, you could be surprised with a saliva test that you can’t cheat on.
Bear this in mind as you embark on your new career as a driver.
Do They Drug Test Applicants For Warehouse Jobs
If you’re applying for the most common FedEx warehouse job, which is a package handler for FedEx Ground, then you won’t have to take a drug test.
All you need to do is fill in the application online, take a simple assessment, and then pass a very basic interview.
Other FedEx Ground warehouse jobs like forklift operator that involve the use of heavy equipment will require a drug test, as will any supervisory, trainer, or managerial roles.
For warehouse roles at FedEx Express and FedEx Freight, you will need to pass a drug test before you can be hired.
Why is the rule different for FedEx Ground package handlers? One reason could be the nature of the job. Package handlers at FedEx Ground have a demanding, physical job, with no breaks during a shift.
Many new hires don’t last very long because they can’t keep up with such a physically draining job. If FedEx drug-tested applicants for this role, they would limit the pool of potential employees and may face difficulty running the service.
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Does FedEx Conduct Drug Test For FedEx Office Jobs?
Yes, when you apply for a job with FedEx Office, you will have to pass a drug test. Once you’ve been through the interview and received a conditional offer of employment, FedEx Office will ask you to arrange a drug test.
It’s not uncommon to get offered a job on the spot if you ace your interview, and you could be asked to take a drug test that day.
Unless you are certain that drugs have cleared your system, you should wait until you know you can pass a drug test before you apply for a job with FedEx Office.
FedEx Office doesn’t carry out random drug tests, but you may have to take a drug test if you’re injured on the job and file a worker’s comp claim, cause an accident that injures another person, or cause damage to company property.
Does FedEx Do Random Drug Tests?
Random drug tests aren’t commonplace for warehouse staff at FedEx Ground, but they are part of the FedEx drug testing policy so you could, in theory, be asked to take a drug test at any time.
In practice, you’re more likely to face a random drug test if your manager is looking for an excuse to fire you.
Warehouse staff at FedEx Express and FedEx Freight are subject to random drug tests in line with the company drug testing policy.
If you’re going to work as a non-CDL delivery or pickup driver, you shouldn’t need to take random drug tests.
CDL driving positions, however, will require random drug tests because drug testing for these drivers is regulated by the Department of Transportation.
CDL driving jobs aren’t compatible with drug use, and if you test positive, you’ll lose your job and find it very difficult to get hired as a CDL driver elsewhere.
If you’re picked for a random drug test, you need to report for the test within 2 hours.
All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug tests. These tests can be carried out if your manager has cause to believe that you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol on the job.
Reasons for suspicion include:
- Smelling of drugs
- Bloodshot eyes
- Slurred speech
- Drowsiness or falling asleep
- Unsteady movements
- Uncharacteristic aggressive or argumentative behavior
What Type Of Drug Test Does FedEx Do?
FedEx uses urine drug tests. A urine drug test involves collecting a urine sample and then sending the sample to a lab for analysis. At the lab, your urine sample is screened for common illegal substances, then the report is sent back to the employer.
FedEx employees report that urine sample collection is done in private and is not supervised. You will be checked over before you go into the bathroom, however, to make sure that you aren’t concealing a urine substitute.
In the bathroom there won’t be any water available, so you can’t try to dilute the sample. The blue dye will be in the toilet bowl and tank, and the water at the washbasins will be shut off.
When you hand your sample over, the technician handling your test will check the temperature of the urine, then seal your sample and complete the paperwork for the lab.
When your urine sample gets to the lab, it will be checked using an initial immunoassay. Should the sample test positive for any of the drugs on the panel, it will need to undergo a confirmatory drug test.
If the confirmatory drug test is also positive, the results will be passed to a Medical Review Officer who will contact you to find out if you’re taking any prescription medications that could have produced the positive result.
If you have a valid, current prescription for a substance that has caused a positive on the test, your result will be changed to negative and you’ll have passed the test.
Which Drugs Does FedEx Test For?
FedEx tests for the most commonly abused illegal drugs in line with the Department of Transportation regulations.
These are:
- Opioids
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Amphetamines and methamphetamine
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
The general detection window in urine for these drugs since your last use is as follows:
- Opioids – up to 4 days
- Cocaine – up to 4 days
- Marijuana – up to 30 days with light occasional use.
- Amphetamines and methamphetamine – up to 4 days
- Phencyclidine (PCP) – up to 14 days
The actual detection time will depend on multiple factors. Things like how much body fat you have, how fast your metabolism runs, how much exercise you do, the foods you eat, your level of hydration, the amount of the drug you take, and how frequently you use the drug all play a role.
Marijuana is a drug with the ability to linger in your system the longest, and sometimes marijuana metabolites can still be found in a urine sample after 70 days.
If you have any doubts about your ability to pass a pre-employment drug test, you should take a DIY test before you apply so that you don’t potentially ruin your chances of getting the job that you want.
DIY urine tests are accurate and easy to use, and they come with several tests in the box so you can carry out repeated tests until your sample comes up negative.
You can find DIY urine tests at most pharmacies, big-box retailers, and online from stores including Amazon.
Does FedEx Test For THC In States Where Marijuana Is Legal?
Yes, they do. FedEx follows the federal Department of Transportation rules on drug testing. Even though marijuana is legal in some states for medicinal and/or recreational use, the drug is still illegal at the federal level.
If you’re applying for a driving job and you test positive for marijuana, you won’t get the job and if you already hold a CDL, the positive test will be recorded on your file at the FMCSA Clearinghouse.
A CDL holder with a positive drug test has to complete a Return to Duty process before they can drive a commercial vehicle again. And a recent positive result will make it very hard to find another driving job any time soon.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs) – Does FedEx Drug Test Package Handlers?
Does FedEx Always Drug Test?
FedEx requires a drug test for many jobs, but not all. If you’re applying to work as a package handler at a FedEx Ground warehouse, you won’t need to take a drug test. Supervisory level jobs and above will need a drug test, as will any driving jobs, and warehouse jobs involving the use of heavy equipment.
You’re also going to be subject to random drug tests and post-accident drug testing, although random drug tests for package handlers are very rare.
What About Test Urine?
If you need to take a drug test during the hiring process or as a FedEx employee, you’ll have to take a urine drug test. Your sample will be tested for opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and methamphetamine, marijuana (even in legal states), and phencyclidine (PCP).
Do FedEx Drug Test Same Day As Interview?
Your drug test will take place after they have offered you a job and that could be on the same day as your interview. There’s no point applying for a job until you know you can pass the test.
FedEx has plenty of job opportunities, so you’ll still be able to find a suitable position once drugs have cleared your system. Use a DIY test to be sure that you will test negative before you apply.
What Happens If You Fail A Drug Test At FedEx?
If you fail a pre-employment drug test, you won’t be hired, and you’ll have to wait up to 6 months (depending on job type) before you can apply again.
If you fail a drug test as an employee, you would most likely be fired, although you may be suspended without pay while you undergo treatment. CDL drivers failing a drug test cannot drive for any company until they have completed a Return to Duty process.
Summing Up
FedEx carries out pre-employment drug testing for the majority of its positions, but FedEx Ground package handlers won’t normally need to take a drug test. You may be asked to take a drug test on the day of your interview if you’re offered a job right away.
Once you’re hired, you will be subject to random drug tests, although, for FedEx Ground package handlers, random drug tests are rare to non-existent.
CDL drivers will be required to undergo regular random tests in line with Department of Transportation rules.
All employees will need to take a drug test if there is reason to believe that they’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol on the job. And drug tests are also carried out after accidents that cause injury, and after incidents that damage property.
FedEx uses a 5-panel urine drug test that screens for opiates, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine, and phencyclidine (PCP).
As a drug user applying for jobs, it’s always a good idea to take a DIY drug test before you make an application. By abstaining long enough to pass the test, you can apply for jobs without any worries.
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