What is a Consortium/Third Party Administrator (C/TPA)?
Third-Party Administrators TPA and Consortium Definitions: The term "third-party administrator" is an entity that coordinates multiple services for an employer to maintain drug testing and/or drug-free workplace programs. The term "consortium" represents a group of employers in the field of drug testing. The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) coined the term "consortium/third-party administrator" or C/TPA in 2001 when it rewrote the USDOT drug and alcohol testing regulations (49 CFR Part 40). goMDnow offers Quality Consortium Services, Need a TPA or C/PTA, DOT/Non-DOT Drug Testing, FMCSA Drug Testing Alliance and many others. Our goal is to make DOT certification and drug testing easier for shipping companies of all sizes, while helping them comply with DOT regulations.
What does C/TPA do? Consortium/Third Party Administrators (C/TPAs) administer all or part of an employer’s DOT drug and alcohol testing program, sometimes including maintaining required testing records. They perform tasks agreed to by the employer to assist in administering drug and alcohol testing program and help employers comply with DOT/FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Testing Rules and Regulations,” according to the FMCSA website. In a random testing pool, the C/TPA manages random testing of multiple employers and owner-operators required by USDOT. Owner-operators must join the C/TPA Alliance for random drug and alcohol testing. Non-DOT employers may also hire a C/TPA to administer the random testing program. For example, this usually happens in unions. C/TPA is poised to become a specialist firm with advanced knowledge and expertise in drug and