Who this applies to
The Clearinghouse is FMCSA’s database of drug and alcohol program violations by CDL drivers. Every employer of CDL drivers must be registered, must run a full query before hiring a driver and a limited query on each driver at least once a year, and must report violations. This includes owner-operators who drive their own truck: they are treated as both the employer and the driver and must designate a consortium or third-party administrator (C/TPA) to act on their behalf.
What we do
- Register your company in the Clearinghouse as an employer and set up the account correctly for your structure.
- Designate your C/TPA so that queries and reports can be handled, and coordinate with your testing consortium. [Confirm whether Think and Thank arranges consortium enrollment directly or refers to a partner.]
- Purchase a query plan and run pre-employment full queries and annual limited queries on your drivers.
- Guide drivers through their own registration and consent, which is required before a full query can be completed.
- Keep a record of query dates and remind you before each driver’s annual query is due.
What you will need
- USDOT number and company details
- List of CDL drivers with license numbers and issuing states
- Details of your testing consortium or C/TPA, if you already have one
- Driver consent for full queries, which the driver provides inside the Clearinghouse
Common questions
I am an owner-operator with one truck. Does this really apply to me?
Yes. If you hold a CDL and drive a vehicle that requires one, you are both the employer and the driver. You must register as an employer, designate a C/TPA and have the annual query run on yourself.
How often do queries need to be run?
A full query before a driver starts driving for you, and a limited query on every driver at least once every twelve months. If a limited query shows a record, a full query with driver consent must follow.
Is this the same as being in a random testing consortium?
No. The Clearinghouse is a records database. Random testing is a separate requirement, typically met by enrolling in a consortium. Both are needed. We can set up the Clearinghouse side and point you to testing enrollment. [Confirm scope.]
Next step: Ask about Clearinghouse setup. Tell us how many CDL drivers you have and whether you are already in a testing program.
Think and Thank LLC is an independent, privately owned service provider. We are not a government agency and are not affiliated with FMCSA, USDOT, the IRS or any state agency.