What is the FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse?

The Clearinghouse is a secure online database that gives employers, the (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. An act of Congress directed the Secretary of Transportation to establish the Clearinghouse.

• Employers are required to query the Clearinghouse for current and prospective employees' drug and alcohol violations before permitting those employees to operate a CMV on public roads.

• Employers are required to annually query the Clearinghouse for each driver they currently employ.                     

• The Clearinghouse offers two types of queries to employers: a full or a partial. The full query requires the driver’s specific consent to release the information in the Clearinghouse to the requesting party and it covers all the records that the Clearinghouse contains. A limited query allows an employer to determine if any information about an individual driver exists in the clearinghouse, but does not provide for the release of any specific violation information.

FMCSA Portal Link.

https://portal.fmcsa.dot.gov/login