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The FMCSA Clearinghouse for employers: what you must query and report

Under 49 CFR 382.701, an employer must run a full Clearinghouse query, with the driver's electronic consent, before that driver performs any safety-sensitive function, and must query every current CDL driver at least once every 12 months. The annual check can be a limited query, but if it returns "record found" a full query must follow within 24 hours. Queries cost $1.25 each in bundles that never expire, or an unlimited annual plan. Employers must also report violations: verified positives, refusals, and alcohol results of 0.04 or above. The Designated Employer Representative typically handles all of it.

Updated October 2026 · ELDT365, listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry

Two query types, two purposes

A full query shows the driver's complete violation and return-to-duty record and requires the driver's electronic consent in the Clearinghouse. It is mandatory before hiring. A limited query only tells you whether a record exists and can run on a general consent form you keep on file; it is enough for the annual check. If a limited query comes back with a record, you have 24 hours to run a full query, and the driver cannot perform safety-sensitive functions until it clears.

The annual clock

Every current CDL driver must be queried at least once every 12 months, on a rolling basis from the last query. Miss it and the driver is technically unqualified. Most fleets query everyone on the same day each year so nothing slips.

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What you must report

Employers report verified positive drug tests, alcohol results of 0.04 or greater, refusals to test, and actual knowledge of prohibited use. Medical Review Officers report their own verifications. Since late 2024 a prohibited Clearinghouse status also results in the state downgrading the driver's CDL, so reporting has real teeth.

Cost

FMCSA charges $1.25 per query, limited or full, sold in bundles that do not expire, or an unlimited annual plan for large fleets. The cost is not the issue; the record of having done it is.

Records

Keep query results for at least three years under 382.701(e). Auditors ask for them alongside the drug and alcohol program.

Questions drivers ask

Can a consortium run the queries for me?

A C/TPA can run them on your behalf once designated in the Clearinghouse, but the obligation and the records stay with you as the employer.

Does an owner-operator have to query themselves?

Yes. An owner-operator is both employer and driver, and must be registered, must query themselves annually, and must use a C/TPA for reporting.

What if the driver will not give consent for a full query?

Then you cannot hire them into a safety-sensitive role. Refusing consent for the pre-employment full query is disqualifying for that job.

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