Registrations for the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse began on September 28, 2019. The following individuals and organizations must register with the Clearinghouse:
- Commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders
- Employers of commercial drivers
- Consortia/Third-Party Administrators (C/TPAs)
- Medical Review Officers (MROs)
- Substance Abuse Professionals (SAPs)
In May 2021, the FMCSA published a report summarizing two years of Clearinghouse data. According to the report, 2,415,826 CDL holders and organizations registered with the Clearinghouse during this period.
All FMCSA-registered employers must conduct queries in the Clearinghouse before hiring a CDL holder. They must also perform annual queries for all existing CDL holders operating under their authority. Employers must obtain driver consent for both Pre-Employment and Annual Limited Queries, though the process differs for each.
For Annual Limited Queries, employers must obtain consent directly from the driver. For Full Queries, including Pre-Employment Queries, drivers must provide electronic consent through the Clearinghouse.
From January 6, 2020, to May 31, 2021, FMCSA recorded 6,597,068 queries. Of these, 3,395,717 were for unique (new) CDL holders.
During the same period, employers and their designated C/TPAs or MROs reported 80,420 drug and alcohol violations. Drug abuse accounted for most violations, with 78,623 positive drug tests, while 1,797 violations involved alcohol use.
Drug-related violations made up 82% of total cases. Marijuana Metabolite (Δ9-THCA) was the most common substance detected, appearing in 42,534 cases or 54% of drug violations. Other substances accounted for the remaining 46%.
Any CDL holder with a drug or alcohol violation in the Clearinghouse cannot perform safety-sensitive operations, such as driving a commercial motor vehicle. They must complete the return-to-duty (RTD) procedure before resuming work.
As of June 1, 2021, 73,609 drivers had at least one violation. Among them, 60,299 remained prohibited from performing safety-sensitive tasks. Meanwhile, 13,310 CDL holders completed the RTD process and returned to duty after passing a negative test.
Texas recorded the highest number of violations with 7,592 cases. In contrast, the District of Columbia (DC) had the fewest at just 86. The U.S. reported 73,609 violations, while Canada recorded 1,370 and Mexico had 644. Canadian and Mexican drivers operating in the U.S. must follow U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.
California had the highest number of unique registered employers, while DC had the lowest as of June 1, 2021.
How Can InOut Labs Help?
InOut Labs is a respected national drug testing provider with extensive experience helping employers of CDL drivers navigate the FMCSA Clearinghouse regulations.
Our Clearinghouse support clients receive unlimited consultation regarding the Clearinghouse as well as manage your drug testing compliance issues so that you can focus solely on your business.
Read more about our experience and expertise.
Check out our FMCSA ClearingHouse resource page for more details and the breakdown of our fees for providing Clearinghouse support.
