FMCSA Clearinghouse, registered right and queried on time
Employer and driver registration, C/TPA designation, pre-employment full queries, annual limited queries and violation reporting. $15 per driver per year, federal query fee included. Free designation for consortium members.
Query before you hire
A full query with the driver's electronic consent is required before a new driver performs any safety-sensitive function. No query, no driving. 49 CFR 382.701(a).
Query every driver every year
At least one query per driver in every 12-month period. A limited query is enough unless it returns a record, then a full query within 24 hours. 49 CFR 382.701(b).
The downgrade is real
Since Clearinghouse-II took effect in November 2024, a driver in prohibited status loses the CDL within 60 days. As of January 2026 about 328,000 drivers had a violation on file and about 202,000 were prohibited.
You are the employer and the driver. Register as both.
The Clearinghouse has two kinds of accounts. An employer account is tied to a USDOT number and is where queries are ordered, C/TPAs are designated and violations are reported. A driver account is tied to a CDL and is where a driver consents to full queries and reads their own record.
An owner-operator needs both. The rule is explicit: an employer who is also the only driver cannot query or report on themselves, so the employer account must designate a C/TPA. Most owner-operators we meet registered once, as a driver, when a broker asked for it. When a new customer wants a pre-employment query, nothing works: there is no employer account to send the request and no C/TPA to run it.
The fix takes 20 minutes with a Login.gov account and your USDOT number. We do it on the phone with you, then designate ourselves as your C/TPA and run the first query the same day.
What "prohibited status" means
A driver enters prohibited status after a verified positive test, a refusal, an alcohol result of 0.04 or higher, or actual knowledge of use. The driver may not perform safety-sensitive functions for any employer until the return-to-duty process is complete: Substance Abuse Professional evaluation, treatment or education, a negative return-to-duty test, then follow-up testing for at least 12 months.
Under Clearinghouse-II, the state licensing agency is notified and downgrades the CDL if the driver is still prohibited after 60 days. A downgraded licence has to be re-upgraded at the state after return-to-duty, which means paperwork, fees and lost weeks.
Queries and designation, government fee shown separately
Clearinghouse and consortium prices
| Service | Our fee | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| C/TPA designation and account setup Included with consortium enrollment. | $0 | one-time |
| Annual limited query | $15 | per driver |
| Pre-employment full query | $25 | per driver |
| Clearinghouse registration walkthrough Free for consortium members. | $49 | one-time |
| Consortium enrollment, owner-operator | $99 | per year |
| Each additional driver | $30 | per driver per year |
FMCSA charges 1.25 USD per query through a query plan. That fee is included in our query prices. Registration in the Clearinghouse itself is free of government charge.
How we set it up
- Register both accounts
Employer account with your USDOT number, driver account for yourself if you drive. Login.gov identity, about 20 minutes total. We walk you through it or do it on a screen share.
- Designate Profirm as your C/TPA
Inside the employer account you name us and set our permissions: queries, reporting, or both. Consortium members are designated the day they enroll.
- Queries and reporting run from our desk
Full query before any new hire, limited query on every driver each year, violations reported within three business days. Records kept three years.
What goes into the Clearinghouse, and who puts it there
| Event | Who reports | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Verified positive, adulterated or substituted drug test | Medical Review Officer | 2 business days after verification |
| Alcohol result of 0.04 or higher | Employer or C/TPA | 3 business days |
| Refusal to test | Employer or C/TPA (MRO for some refusals) | 3 business days |
| Actual knowledge of use or possession on duty | Employer or C/TPA | 3 business days |
| Negative return-to-duty test | Employer or C/TPA | 3 business days |
| Follow-up testing plan completed | Employer or C/TPA | 3 business days |
| Substance Abuse Professional evaluation and eligibility | SAP | 1 business day |
49 CFR 382.705. Query records must be kept for three years (49 CFR 382.701(e)); we keep them in the driver's qualification file.
For owner-operators, the C/TPA does the reporting. For fleets, we do it when you designate us with reporting permission, which is the setting we recommend. A missed report is a violation on its own, separate from the underlying test.
Ask us to check your registration
Tell us your USDOT number. We tell you whether the employer account, driver account and C/TPA designation are all in place, and what is missing.
Online requests open soon. Call or email us and we answer the same business day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse?
A federal database of CDL driver drug and alcohol program violations, run by FMCSA under 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart G. Employers, C/TPAs and Medical Review Officers report violations to it. Employers and C/TPAs query it before hiring a driver and at least once a year for every driver they employ. State licensing agencies check it before issuing or renewing a CDL.
Do owner-operators have to register in the Clearinghouse?
Yes, twice. An owner-operator is both the employer and the driver. Register as an employer, designate a C/TPA, and register as a driver so you can consent to queries on your own record. Registering only as a driver is the most common mistake we fix. See the dual registration section above.
What is the difference between a limited query and a full query?
A limited query tells you whether the Clearinghouse holds any record about the driver, yes or no. It needs the driver's written consent, which can cover several years. A full query returns the record itself and needs the driver's electronic consent inside the Clearinghouse. Pre-employment always requires a full query. The annual check can be a limited query, but if it comes back with a record you must run a full query within 24 hours.
How much does a Clearinghouse query cost?
FMCSA charges 1.25 USD per query through a query plan. We charge $15 per driver for the annual limited query and $25 per driver for a pre-employment full query. The federal 1.25 USD is included in both prices. C/TPA designation is $0 for consortium members.
What does a C/TPA do in the Clearinghouse?
A consortium / third-party administrator runs queries, reports violations and manages records on the employer's behalf. Owner-operators must designate one because they cannot report on themselves. A C/TPA has to be designated inside your employer account before it can act for you.
What is Clearinghouse-II and the CDL downgrade?
The second Clearinghouse rule took effect November 18, 2024. State driver licensing agencies must query the Clearinghouse before issuing, renewing, transferring or upgrading a CDL, and must downgrade the CDL of any driver in prohibited status within 60 days. A driver who cannot complete return-to-duty loses the commercial privilege on the licence, not just the job.
What has to be reported and by when?
Employers or their C/TPA report refusals to test, actual knowledge of use or 0.04 or higher alcohol results, negative return-to-duty tests and completed follow-up plans. The Medical Review Officer reports verified positive, adulterated and substituted results. Reports are due by the close of the third business day after the employer learns of the violation (49 CFR 382.705).
Do Canadian drivers running into the US need to be in the Clearinghouse?
Yes if they hold a CDL or a Canadian commercial licence and drive a commercial motor vehicle in the United States under a USDOT number. Quebec and Ontario carriers with US operations are subject to the same query and reporting rules as a Texas carrier. We register Canadian drivers and run their queries every week.
Registered as a driver only? Let's fix that today.
One phone call to register the employer account, designate a C/TPA and run the first query. Consortium members pay nothing for designation.