Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

No, I’m not talking about the clearinghouse where they show up at your doorstep and give you a giant check for 1 million dollars. This is the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which took effect just over a year ago.

Introduction to the Clearinghouse

On January 6th, 2020, the FMCSA launched the Clearinghouse. Since then, every company with CDL drivers must pull annual queries on all of their drivers. Many companies have already done this, but if you haven’t, you are already out of compliance, and there’s no way to fix it retrospectively.

What You Need to Do

Don’t wait another day to get this done. Head over to the FMCSA Clearinghouse and start by setting up your company profile and pulling a limited query on all your drivers today.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is the Clearinghouse?

The Clearinghouse is one of the last items passed during Obama’s last term as president. It took effect on January 6, 2020, and remains in effect indefinitely. It is a database where all drug and alcohol violations are stored for CDL drivers. When a CDL driver fails a drug test, the results are entered into the Clearinghouse, and that driver cannot operate CDL vehicles until they have completed a return-to-duty drug test with negative results.

Why Do I Have to Pull a Query?

It is now a federal regulation that you must have the results of a full query before any CDL driver may operate a CDL vehicle for your company. Additionally, an annual limited query is required for all current CDL drivers in your company.

How Much Does It Cost?

Both a full query and a limited query cost $1.25.

Can I Do It Myself?

Absolutely, you can do it yourself. The process is straightforward, and you receive results almost instantly. If you need more help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance in getting set up and ready to go.

What’s the Difference Between Already-Employed Drivers and New Drivers?

For existing drivers, you run a limited query, which requires a signed consent form kept in the driver’s file. For new drivers, you need to run a full query, which requires the driver to log into the Clearinghouse and give your company permission to view their results.

What Are the Penalties if I Don’t Do It?

The penalties are significant. Any Clearinghouse violation is treated as though it were a drug and alcohol violation. This means that if you don’t have the query results before allowing the driver to operate a CDL vehicle, it’s the same as not conducting a drug test. Fines usually start at around $5,000 for such violations.

How Much Should I Pay to Have This Done?

If you use our driver file service, we include the Clearinghouse pull for free, charging only $1.25 for the query itself. Other companies charge between $7.50 to $25 per employee to run the query.

Can You Help Us With This?

Of course, we can help. Our driver file service is the best deal. You get all the forms needed to set up your drivers; we monitor expiration dates and give you at least 30 days’ notice before any documents expire. This service costs just $10 per driver per month, with no hidden fees. If you don’t want to use that service, we can pull your Clearinghouse queries for $10 per driver, excluding the $1.25 FMCSA fee, which you must purchase for your company by federal regulation.