Registrations for the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse started on September 28, 2019. Individuals and organizations required to register with the Clearinghouse include:
- Commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders
- Employers of commercial drivers
- Consortia/Third-Party Administrators (C/TPAs)
- Medical Review Officers (MROs)
- Substance Abuse Professionals (SAPs)
The FMCSA issued a report in May 2021 in which it published the Clearinghouse data collected over the last two years. The report shows that the number of CDL holders and organizations registered within the Clearinghouse over this period totaled 2,415,826.
All FMCSA-registered employers must conduct queries in the Clearinghouse whenever they wish to hire a CDL holder and for any existing CDL holders operating under their authority. Both Pre-Employment and Annual Limited Queries require driver consent, though the requirements for each are different.
- Annual Limited Queries require that the employer obtain consent directly from the driver.
- Full Queries, including Pre-Employment Queries, require electronic consent through the Clearinghouse.
From January 6, 2020, to May 31, 2021, a total of 6,597,068 queries were conducted, among which 3,395,717 were queries for unique (or new) CDL holders, according to the FMCSA Clearinghouse report.
Moreover, the report states that a total of 80,420 violations of the drug and alcohol program were reported by employers or their designated C/TPA/MROs since January 6, 2020. Most of these violations comprised drug abuse, with 78,623 tests reported drug use, whereas 1,797 tests reported alcohol use.
Around 82% of positive drug tests account for the total violations reported. Marijuana Metabolite (Δ9-THCA) was the most commonly found substance in drivers’ drug tests with 42,534 cases or 54% of the total drug violations. The remaining 46% was other substances.
Any CDL holder with a drug or alcohol violation in the Clearinghouse is prohibited from performing safety-sensitive operations, such as operating a commercial motor vehicle, until their return-to-duty (RTD) procedure is completed.
As of June 1, 2021, 73,609 drivers have had at least one violation, of which 60,299 are still prohibited from performing safety-sensitive functions, while 13,310 CDL holders have been declared fit to perform such tasks after having a negative RTD test result.
Of the fifty U.S. states, Texas stood at the top with 7,592 violations. In contrast, the District of Columbia (DC) had the fewest violations at 86. Compared with the USA’s 73,609 violations, Canada has had 1,370, whereas Mexico has seen just 644 total violations. Note that Canadian and Mexican drivers who operate in the U.S. are subject to U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.
The state with the highest number of unique registered employers was California, while the DC registered the fewest employers through 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.
