What is the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse?

If you hire CDL drivers, please take note: Beginning January 6, 2020, there will be new requirements in effect for obtaining drug and alcohol information for commercial driver’s license applicants and existing drivers. 

​When hiring a CDL driver, employers are required to obtain accident history along with drug and alcohol history from previous DOT-regulated employers during the past three years.

Beginning January 6, 2020, there will be new requirements in effect for obtaining drug and alcohol information for commercial driver’s license applicants and existing drivers.  Employers will be required to query the new drug and alcohol clearinghouse to determine whether current and prospective employees have incurred a drug and alcohol violation that would prohibit them from performing safety-sensitive functions covered by the FMCSA and US DOT drug and alcohol regulations. 

​What is the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and what information will it contain?

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.

Mandatory use of the Clearinghouse goes into effect, January 6, 2020. More information can be found on the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse website: https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov

​Authorized Users & Registration

Authorized users include:

• CDL drivers
• Employers – this includes motor carriers and other employers of drivers operating commercial motor vehicles that require a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit
• Consortia/third-party administrators
• Medical review officers
• Substance abuse professionals
• Enforcement personnel

​Who Must Register?

Employers, drivers, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, and consortia/third-party administrators must  register in the Clearinghouse  to access the Clearinghouse.

Instructional job aids are available for:

• Employers
• CDL drivers
• Consortia/third-party administrators
• Medical review officers
• Substance abuse professionals

​Employers, C/TPAs, MROs, and SAPs can also invite users to complete required actions in the Clearinghouse on their behalf. These users would register as Clearinghouse Assistants.

How do I register as a Clearinghouse Assistant?

If your employer has a USDOT Number, visit  https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/register   and register as an Employer. When prompted, enter your FMCSA Portal credentials. (Don’t have a Portal account?  Register for one today . Once you have a Portal account, be sure to select the correct  Clearinghouse user role .)

All other users must contact your Clearinghouse Administrator to request an invitation to register for the Clearinghouse. Once you receive this invitation email, follow the link in the email to begin your registration in the Clearinghouse.  Download the instructional job aid .

Drivers are not required to register for the Clearinghouse. However, 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.

Drivers will always be free not to register. However, they will not be hired by a prospective employee if this information is not available and they can’t remain employed if we can’t conduct our annual query.
A driver must also be registered to electronically view the information in his or her own Clearinghouse record.

Drivers who register before January 6, 2020, will have their Clearinghouse accounts and contact preferences set up, allowing them to quickly respond to query requests from employers on or after January 6, 2020. Registration is available at  https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/register.

How will you use the Clearinghouse? Download your user brochure:

• CDL Driver
• Employer
• Owner-Operator
• Consortium/Third-Party Administrator
• Medical Review Officer
• Substance Abuse Professional

​About Queries and Consent Requests?  Download materials below:

• Queries and Consent Requests Factsheet
• Query Plan Details
• How To Purchase a Query Plan
• Sample Limited Consent Request Form
• Bulk Query Template File