CDL holders: Registration open for FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse database

Voluntary registration with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is open and available online.
The Clearinghouse was created as part of new CDL employer background check requirements to take effect Jan. 6, 2020. The Clearinghouse is a database maintained by FMCSA that will hold real-time information about any reported violations of drug and alcohol prohibitions in 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart B, including positive drug or alcohol test results and test refusals, for prospective employers to access.
In addition to employers, consortia/third-party administrators (C/TPAs), medical review officers (MROs), substance abuse professionals (SAPs) and law-enforcement personnel all will have access to this database containing operator data.
“Drivers are not required to register for the Clearinghouse,” FMCSA said. “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 Clearinghouse record.”
After registration with the Clearinghouse, CDL holders will be able to:

• View their own driver record electronically.
• Provide electronic consent to release detailed drug and alcohol program violation information to a current or prospective employer.
• Identify a substance abuse professional (SAP) so the SAP may enter specific information regarding the driver’s return-to-duty (RTD) activities.

Even if a CDL holder has not registered for access to the Clearinghouse, the Clearinghouse still will associate any alleged drug or alcohol violation that has been reported with a CDL holder’s information. Any changes to the CDL holder’s record in the Clearinghouse will be relayed via the preferred method the holder indicated during registration or, if the holder is not registered to access the database, via mail to the address associated with the CDL.
FMCSA’s final rule for the Clearinghouse was published Dec. 5, 2016.
FMCSA says that implementation of the Clearinghouse “will improve roadway safety by identifying commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who have committed drug and alcohol violations that render them ineligible to operate a CMV.”
FMCSA’s guide for CDL holders to the Clearinghouse registration process (PDF)
View Frequently Asked Questions about the Clearinghouse.
For more information or to register, visit https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov.