All Drug Clearinghouse Queries Due: Employer Deadline Coming Up Soon - Don't Miss the Deadline

Employers of CDL drivers must conduct annual drug & alcohol queries by no later than January 5, 2021

The Clearinghouse is a secure online database that gives employers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), State Driver Licensing Agencies (SDLAs), and State law enforcement personnel real-time information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders’ drug and alcohol program violations.

Per § 382.701, employers of CDL drivers must conduct a query of the online FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse at least once per year for each CDL driver they employ.

The annual query requirement is tracked on a rolling 12-month basis. The one-year time frame resets with each query conducted on a driver. For example, if an employer conducted a query for Driver A on July 6, 2020, the employer is not required to query Driver A again until July 7, 2021, to meet the annual query requirement.

A limited query satisfies the annual query requirement. Employers must obtain general consent from CDL drivers they employ before conducting limited queries in the Clearinghouse to view these drivers’ information (you can download a sample limited query consent form).

Visit the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol homepage at https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/ for FAQ's and to conduct your annual queries.