FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Services
Stay compliant with the FMCSA Clearinghouse — from registration through every annual query. We run the queries, manage violations, and watch driver status so a missed deadline never costs you.
What Is the FMCSA Clearinghouse — and Who Must Register?
The FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse is a federal database that tracks drug and alcohol program violations for CDL drivers. If you employ CDL drivers, you’re required to register, query the database before hiring and once a year after, and report violations — so a driver can’t simply move to a new employer to escape a positive test or refusal.
The rules are specific and the deadlines are unforgiving: a missed annual query or a hire without a full query is a violation in its own right. ClaimShield manages the whole obligation — registration, queries, consents, and the records that prove you did it.
What Our Clearinghouse Service Includes
Clearinghouse Registration & DER Setup
We get your company registered and your Designated Employer Representative (DER) set up correctly — the foundation everything else runs on.
Pre-Employment Full Queries
Before a new CDL driver starts, we run the required full query (with their consent) so you know their drug & alcohol status before they’re behind the wheel.
Annual Limited Queries
Every CDL driver needs a limited query once a year. We run them for your whole roster on schedule, so none slip past the deadline.
Driver Consent & Recordkeeping
Consents are collected and documented electronically, and every query is recorded — ready to produce in an audit.
Violation & Return-to-Duty Coordination
If a violation is reported, we help you manage the return-to-duty process and coordinate with the Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and follow-up testing.
Prohibited-Status & CDL Downgrade Monitoring
We monitor driver status so a “prohibited” driver — now tied to state CDL downgrades — is caught immediately, not after they’ve been dispatched.
The Clearinghouse Query Types, Explained
Full vs. limited trips up a lot of carriers. Here’s how it actually works.
Pre-Employment Full Query
Required before you hire a CDL driver. It returns the driver’s complete Clearinghouse record and needs the driver’s specific electronic consent. No full query, no legal hire.
Annual Limited Query
Required once per year for every CDL driver you employ. It tells you whether there’s any information in the driver’s record — without the full detail — using a general consent you keep on file.
Limited → Full Conversion
If a limited query comes back showing information exists, you must run a full query within 24 hours and pull the driver from safety-sensitive duty until it’s resolved. We manage that conversion for you.
Clearinghouse-II: Prohibited Status Now Costs the CDL
Under the Clearinghouse-II rule, state driver licensing agencies query the Clearinghouse and downgrade the commercial driving privileges of any driver in “prohibited” status. An unresolved violation no longer just sits in a database — it can pull a driver’s CDL through the state. Monitoring driver status is now a frontline compliance task, and it’s built into our service.
Why Carriers Let Us Manage the Clearinghouse
Never Miss a Query Deadline
Annual queries are easy to forget and expensive to miss. We run them on schedule for your whole roster so the deadline isn’t on you.
Hire With Confidence
Every new CDL driver is cleared through a full query before they start — so a prohibited driver never makes it onto your trucks.
Stay Ahead of CDL Downgrades
With state agencies now downgrading the licenses of prohibited drivers, catching a status change early protects both the driver and your operation.
One Program, One Partner
The Clearinghouse runs alongside your drug & alcohol testing, MVRs, and driver files — managed together, not bolted on from a separate vendor.
The Clearinghouse is part of your full drug & alcohol and driver-compliance program:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse?
The FMCSA Clearinghouse is a federal online database that records drug and alcohol program violations for CDL and CLP drivers. Employers are required to query it before hiring a driver and at least once a year for every current CDL driver, and to report violations to it. It exists so a driver can’t hide a violation by switching employers.
Who must register for the Clearinghouse?
Motor carriers that employ CDL drivers must register, along with their Designated Employer Representative. Owner-operators (employers of themselves) must register and also designate a consortium/third-party administrator. We handle the registration and DER setup as part of the service.
What’s the difference between a full query and a limited query?
A full query returns the driver’s complete Clearinghouse record and requires the driver’s specific electronic consent — it’s required before hiring. A limited query only tells you whether any information exists in the record and is required annually for every CDL driver. If a limited query shows information, you must run a full query within 24 hours.
How often do I have to run Clearinghouse queries?
A full query is required before you hire each CDL driver, and a limited query is required at least once every 12 months for every CDL driver you employ. We track the dates and run the queries for your whole roster so nothing lapses.
What is the Clearinghouse-II CDL downgrade rule?
As of November 18, 2024, state driver licensing agencies query the Clearinghouse and must downgrade the commercial driving privileges of any driver in “prohibited” status. In practice, an unresolved violation can now cost a driver their CDL through the state — which makes monitoring driver status more important than ever. We watch for status changes so you’re not blindsided.
What happens if a driver is in prohibited status?
A prohibited driver cannot perform safety-sensitive functions, including driving, until they complete the return-to-duty process with a Substance Abuse Professional. We help you manage that process — the SAP referral, follow-up testing, and the recordkeeping — and monitor when the driver is eligible to return.
Does ClaimShield handle the whole drug & alcohol program, not just the Clearinghouse?
Yes. The Clearinghouse is one piece of a full DOT drug & alcohol program — random testing pools, scheduling, reasonable-suspicion protocols, and return-to-duty management. We manage the program end to end, with the Clearinghouse built in.
Let us run the Clearinghouse for you.
Tell us about your fleet. We’ll handle registration, queries, and monitoring as part of one fee per driver.