💡The Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse became fully implemented on January 6, 2023. Per the FMCSA, employers of CDL drivers will no longer need to include drug and alcohol requests in the scope of the safety performance history process of hiring a driver—the employer’s query of the Clearinghouse will satisfy that requirement. Other previous employment verification processes remain unchanged—check out VOE+ to make some of these processes easier on your team!
The information on this page is historical, educational material on this change as part of DriverReach industry content offerings. For more information on the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, please visit its FAQ page.
A fundamental shift in how motor carriers approach their recruiting and qualification process will occur on January 6, 2020.
Safety will improve as drug and/or alcohol violations will be easier to identify, and as drivers who are ineligible to operate commercial motor vehicles are promptly removed from their driving responsibilities as a result.
Motor carriers will begin using the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse to screen for drivers who are ineligible to operate a CMV based on DOT drug and alcohol program violations. The new system — currently being developed by the FMCSA and its internal US DOT partner, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center — will make it harder for drivers to evade the consequences of a positive DOT drug or alcohol test by making it easier for motor carriers to identify them. It will accomplish this by collecting all positive drug and alcohol tests, including refusals to test and actual knowledge reports, and storing them in a central database that motor carriers will need to query as part of the hiring process, and annually thereafter.
The FMCSA estimates the new rules will eliminate almost 900 crashes annually and, after adjusting for added costs, will result in a total benefit to society of approximately $196 million. To obtain these benefits however, all parties involved in drug and alcohol testing process will need to participate. This includes motor carriers and their service agents, drivers, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals and consortia/third party administrators with each having unique roles and responsibilities.
This improvement will come with a cost, however, as motor carriers adapt to new rules which will add layers of compliance and require changes to hiring and other policies and procedures.
This ebook will:
- Describe new landscape created by the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse final rule
- Provide insight into how to prepare for the new program
- Recommend how the Clearinghouse could be less disruptive to carriers and drivers while still achieving its safety objectives
Ready to learn more about this important issue that’s fast approaching in early 2020? Download your free ebook to understand how your company can begin preparing NOW!
