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Friday, March 29, 2024

Drug and Alcohol Violations and Failures To Be Registered on an FMCSA Database

 

Beginning January 6, 2020, truck drivers who wish to change jobs will be required to register with the FMCSA’s Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Voluntary registration starts in October of 2019.

The Clearinghouse is a secure federal database that will provide real-time information about trucker drug and alcohol violations. The FMCSA, CMV employers, State Driver Licensing Agencies, and law enforcement officials will have access to it.

All CDL drug and alcohol test failures will be recorded in the Clearinghouse, including:

  • Report for duty/remain on duty or safety-sensitive function with an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater or while using any prohibited drug
  • Alcohol use while performing, or within four hours of performing, a safety-sensitive function
  • Alcohol use within eight hours of a post-accident alcohol test
  • Test positive for use of specified drugs (this could include a post-crash test, a pre-employment drug screening, or a random drug test)
  • Refusing to submit a required alcohol or drug test

The FMCSA states that the Clearinghouse is meant to help “employers, FMCSA, State Driver Licensing Agencies, and State law enforcement to quickly and efficiently identify drivers who are not legally permitted to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) due to drug and alcohol program violations.”