Commercial Driver's License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

Overview

The Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) established the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse). 

The Clearinghouse final rule requires the following:

• Employers must query the Clearinghouse for current and prospective employees' drug and alcohol violations before permitting those employees to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) on public roads.
• Employers must annually query the Clearinghouse for each driver they currently employ.

The Clearinghouse provides FMCSA and employers the necessary tools to identify drivers who are prohibited from operating a CMV based on DOT drug and alcohol program violations and ensure that such drivers receive the required evaluation and treatment before operating a CMV on public roads. Specifically, information maintained in the Clearinghouse enables employers to identify drivers who commit a drug or alcohol program violation while working for one employer but who fail to subsequently inform another employer (as required by current regulations). Records of drug and alcohol program violations will remain in the Clearinghouse for five years or until the driver has completed the return-to-duty process, whichever is later. For CDL purposes, tow trucks and trailers should be treated the same as any other powered unit towing a non-powered unit. If the GCWR of the tow truck is 26,001 pounds or more and the towed vehicle alone exceeds 10,000 pounds GVWR, then the driver needs a Class A CDL. Along with the registration for consent for drug and alcohol clearinghouse would prevent "warranted disparity" from public safety concerns.

For more information on the Clearinghouse, please visit https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/.