FMCSA opens registration for CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

From FMCSA.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that registration is now open for the Congressionally mandated Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders, employers, medical review officers, and substance abuse professionals can now visit and register to create a secure online user account.

“As this Congressional mandate is enacted, FMCSA’s goal is to ensure drivers, employers, and everyone who will be using the clearinghouse are registered as efficiently and effectively as possible.  FMCSA is here to be helpful during this implementation, and we strongly encourage all CMV stakeholders to get registered in the clearinghouse now,” said FMCSA Administrator Raymond P. Martinez.

Registration is required to be able to access the clearinghouse once it is fully implemented on January 6, 2020.  To access the clearinghouse, authorized users must register.  These users include:

• Drivers who hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or commercial learner’s permit (CLP).
• Employers of CDL drivers. This includes those who employ themselves as CDL drivers (owner-operators), typically a single-driver operation.
• Consortia/Third-Party Administrators (C/TPAs).
• Medical Review Officers (MROs).
• Substance Abuse Professionals (SAPs).

There is no cost for registration.  Commercial drivers are not required to immediately register for the clearinghouse, but will need to register to respond to an employer’s request for consent prior to a pre-employment query or other full query being conducted.

See the complete release from FMCSA online.

Note from MTAC: FMCSA Division Administrator Chris Henry will cover this issue during a seminar at the MTAC Annual Meeting Oct. 31.