Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Resources

What Do You Need to Do to Comply with the New FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse?

View these resources to find out how to comply with the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Mandate

Commercial Driver's License - drug and alcohol clearinghouse whitepaper img

What Is It?

An electronic database containing drug and alcohol violations, where employers will report violations and check that no current or prospective employee is prohibited from operating a CMV due to an unresolved drug and alcohol program violation.

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Data & Insights from FMCSA’s New Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is providing more than just a great way to help identify and keep disqualified CDL holders off our highways. It’s also providing a treasure trove of data offering insights on important aspects of the trucking industry. In June 2020, FMCSA began publishing Monthly Clearinghouse summary reports containing CDL driver violation data that clearly identify the drug of choice among drivers, industry hiring trends, the effectiveness of testing and more.

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Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse hero image banner - FleetLocate by Spireon

FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse – What You Need to Know Now

Make sure you’re ready for the newest FMCSA mandate, effective January 6, 2020: The CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. In this overview of the new mandate and what it requires of you, you will hear:

  • What you need to do by January 6, 2020
  • What two steps will be required to check the status of new hires
  • What the annual requirements are
  • What new policies your company will need to put in place
  • What this new process will cost you
  • And more

Join expert Dave Osiecki, President of Scopelitis Transportation Consulting LLC and formerly Executive Vice President for ATA, as he spells out what you’ll need to do and answers your tough questions.

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What Are the Deadlines?

2020 deadline dates for drug alcohol clearinghouse
2023 deadline dates for drug alcohol clearinghouse

FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse: Motor Carrier Responsibilities and Resources

Before hiring a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver, motor carriers are required to verify the commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder has not been declared ineligible to drive due to a drug or alcohol violation. To make this easier, and to make it more difficult for drivers to hide these violations, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has developed the CDL Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. The clearinghouse is a database of disqualifying events, like a drug or alcohol test failure, refusal to test, or if a qualified person has actual knowledge of a violation. Motor carriers are required to query the database before allowing a newly hired driver to operate a CMV requiring a CDL and annually thereafter.

This is an overview of the various motor carrier responsibilities and resources developed by the FMCSA designed to walk carriers through the process.

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Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Enforcement Report

FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse: What Will Enforcement Look Like?

On January 6, 2020, enforcement of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse rules began. To be compliant, motor carriers who hire and employ CDL drivers need to use the Clearinghouse to verify their drivers are not prohibited from operating a commercial motor vehicle. Not doing so can result in stiff penalties following a safety audit/investigation and can result in drivers being placed out-of-service and fined if found to be prohibited from operating a CMV during a roadside inspection.

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FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Requirements: Find Out What You Need to Do*

In June 2019, we provided a comprehensive overview of the motor carrier requirements of Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA’s) new CDL Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse rules set to be implemented on January 6, 2020. As carriers prepare to comply with the new rules, we have developed a short list of must-do activities designed to help carriers think through how their operations might need to change and to suggest ways to make implementation as smooth as possible.

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*Authored by Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, LLC
*Authored by Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, LLC

Get the Latest on the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Requirements*

On January 6, 2020, motor carriers must begin using a new, Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA’s) Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse to screen for drivers who are ineligible to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) based on DOT drug and alcohol program violations. Motor carriers will bear the brunt of the responsibility. This paper focuses on the motor carrier’s responsibilities. Be prepared.

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Know Your Drivers: The Clearinghouse will help identify who you’re putting on the road

It’s important to know your drivers. With the FMCSA’s new Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, it’s now easier to know whether your drivers have any drug or alcohol violations. This paper originates from a webinar hosted by Spireon featuring Dave Osiecki of Scopelitus Transportation Consulting, where Osiecki sheds light on this new database uncovering violations and test-taking refusals by commercial drivers.

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Know your drivers: Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse webinar whitepaper - FleetLocate by Spireon
top 50 FMCSA drug and alcohol clearinghouse questions answered - FleetLocate by Spireon
*Authored by Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, LLC

Top 50 Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Questions Answered*

Don’t miss this informative Q&A generated from the October 2019 Spireon-sponsored Scopelitus Transportation Consulting webinar. Get the answers to these questions.

  • Can we, as a company, register our drivers?
  • What is required of a motor carrier after a driver has a verified positive test and is reported to the Clearinghouse? Does the motor carrier have to have a return-to-duty plan?
  • If a driver is on a continual SAP testing program from a prior violation before 1/6/2020, does this need to be added?
  • To perform the annual query, will the current drivers need to register and provide their consent through the Clearinghouse, or does a written authorization form suffice for the annual review?
  • Does the driver need to register for a motor vehicle carrier to perform a limited query?
  • If a driver does not need to register, how will we get their information for the Annual (Limited) Query?
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Can Help Me With Compliance

“Noncompliance is not an option”
Dave OsieckiScopelitis Transportation Consulting

FleetLocate Blog Posts

7 Steps for Meeting FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Requirements

Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Questions: Top 50 Answered

[Infographic] What You Need to Know About the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse

[Webinar] Get the Latest on the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse

The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Mandate: Is It Needed?

The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Mandate: How to Prepare

Other Resources

FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Website

DOT “Recreational Marijuana” Notice

DOT “Medical Marijuana” Notice

Related Articles

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-stresses-mro-guidelines-after-d-a-clearinghouse-reboot March 10, 2020

https://www.ccjdigital.com/daily-dispatch-march-10-cvta-warns-fraudulent-emails-circulating-about-drug-and-alcohol-clearinghouse/ – March 10, 2020

https://www.overdriveonline.com/drivers-failing-drug-test-could-go-months-before-getting-noticed-in-fmcsa-database – Feb. 24, 2020

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-resolves-drug-alcohol-clearinghouse-glitches – Jan. 22, 2020

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drug-alcohol-clearinghouse-what-drivers-need-to-know – Dec 17, 2019

FMCSA extends drug clearinghouse deadline for state agencies – December 12, 2019

FMCSA Issues Final Rule for States to Comply With Clearinghouse Requirements – December 12, 2019

Employers, Drivers Urged to Register for Drug, Alcohol Clearinghouse – October 10, 2019

FMCSA Says Drug, Alcohol Clearinghouse Will Be Open to Other Agencies – October 22, 2019

7 Things You Need to Know About the New Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse – September 16, 2019

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