The Clearinghouse is a secure online database that will give employers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), State Driver Licensing Agencies (SDLAs), and State law enforcement personnel real-time information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders’ drug and alcohol program violations.
The Clearinghouse will contain records of violations of drug and alcohol prohibitions in 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart B, including positive drug or alcohol test results and test refusals. When a driver completes the return-to-duty (RTD) process and follow-up testing plan, this information will also be recorded in the Clearinghouse.
Employers must establish an account that will allow access to the Clearinghouse once it becomes operational on January 6, 2020. Registered employers will log into their Clearinghouse accounts to purchase their query plan. These plans can only be purchased from the FMCSA Clearinghouse only.
On January 6, 2020, the mandatory use of the Clearinghouse goes into effect. Employers must report certain drug and alcohol program violations and can conduct electronic queries in the Clearinghouse. Manual inquiries with previous employers are still required to cover the preceding three years.
As an employer, you should encourage your employees to begin registering for the Clearinghouse. A driver will need to be registered to provide electronic consent in the Clearinghouse if a prospective or current employer needs to conduct a full query of the driver’s record—this will include all pre-employment queries beginning on January 6, 2020. A driver must also be registered to electronically view the information in his or her own Clearinghouse record.
For further information, please go to https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/
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