Tag: FMCSA Clearinghouse

Understanding The FMCSA Clearinghouse!

Posted by on in Regulatory Update, Training, USDOT Drug Testing

In preparation for the upcoming FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse effective January 6, 2020, NTA offers:

  • Updated FMCSA Substance Abuse Policies and Driver Educational Materials to add the new component of FMCSR Part 382.601 (#12). These updates are included in the Annual Management Fee for existing clients.
    • Policies and Educational material can be purchased by non-clients for $50.00.
  • Important: Owner-operators are required to designate a Third Party Administrator (TPA) to manage their clearinghouse processes. Nationwide Testing Association Inc is your Third Party Administrator. If you need help registering and designating us as your TPA, please call our office.
    • Managing the clearinghouse process for owner-operators will be included in your annual management fee.

 

Our clients may choose to add the following package of services to their program. This package may be billed as a monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscription.

  • Full Queries run automatically after the completion of a pre-employment DOT drug test.
  • Annual Limited Queries run automatically on all drivers, either based on a predetermined date or scheduled with your annual MVR with Nationwide Testing Association.
  • Coordination, evaluation, and assistance with all required reporting.
  • Assistance in understanding and interpreting clearinghouse data.

Contact us today for more information!

FMCSA Clearinghouse OPEN for Registration!

Posted by on in Regulatory Update, USDOT Drug Testing

Registration is open for the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. To access the Clearinghouse once it is operational, authorized users will be required to request access from FMCSA by registering for the Clearinghouse. Registering is the first step to ensuring you will be ready when the Clearinghouse is operational on January 6, 2020.

Authorized users include:

  • CDL drivers
  • Employers – this includes motor carriers and other employers of drivers operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) that require a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or commercial learner’s permit (CLP)
  • Consortia/third-party administrators (C/TPAs)
  • Medical review officers (MROs)
  • Substance abuse professionals (SAPs)
  • Enforcement personnel

To register, go to: https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov

The Clearinghouse is a secure online database that will give employers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), State Driver Licensing Agencies (SDLAs), and State law enforcement personnel real-time information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders’ drug and alcohol program violations.

The Clearinghouse will contain records of violations of drug and alcohol prohibitions in 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart B, including positive drug or alcohol test results and test refusals. When a driver completes the return-to-duty (RTD) process and follow-up testing plan, this information will also be recorded in the Clearinghouse.

In addition, employers may designate a C/TPA who can report violations and/or conduct queries on their behalf. An owner-operator—an employer that employs himself or herself as a CDL driver, typically a single-driver operation—must designate the C/TPA in the Clearinghouse. If you choose to designate Nationwide Testing Assocation, Inc., to report violations and conduct queries on your behalf then contact us!

For more information, contact us!

Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse: An Update

Posted by on in Regulatory Update, USDOT Drug Testing

Beginning January 6, 2020

To ensure you are prepared on January 6, 2020, when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) becomes operational, we want to remind you about an upcoming change related to recording information on the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form (CCF) and Alcohol Testing Form (ATF).

What Changed?

The current versions of the CCF and ATF specifically permit the use of either the driver’s social security number (SSN) or employee identification number (EIN) when completing the CCF or ATF.  However, effective January 6, 2020, FMCSA is requiring that the commercial driver’s license number (CDL) must be used instead of the SSN or EIN when FMCSA-covered drivers’ positive drug or alcohol test results are reported to the Clearinghouse.

Therefore, Employers, Consortia/Third Party Administrators (C/TPAs), Collection Sites, Laboratories, and Medical Review Officers (MROs) may want to ensure that their respective data systems can accommodate a donor identification number of up to 25 alphanumeric characters.

What does this mean for Employers, C/TPAs, Collectors and Alcohol Technicians?

  • In accordance with 49 CFR 382.123(b), the person completing the CCF or the ATF must annotate the driver’s CDL number and State of Issuance in Step 1, Section C of the CCF or Step 1B of the ATF for each FMCSA-regulated test.
  • If the employer or C/TPA does not provide the CDL and the State of Issuance, then the collector or alcohol technician should ask the driver for this information at the collection site.
  • Even if the CDL number and State of Issuance is not listed on the CCF, the collector must send the controlled substance test specimen to the laboratory for testing.

What does this mean for Laboratories?

Laboratories who receive a CCF that indicates this is a FMCSA-regulated urine specimen but does not have the driver’s CDL number listed in Step 1 C should process the urine specimen without delay, and send the results to the MRO.

What does this mean for the MRO?

When the MRO receives a laboratory-confirmed positive drug test result for a FMCSA-regulated employee, and the CCF is without the driver’s CDL number and State of Issuance listed, the MRO should contact the driver, driver’s employer or designated employer representative to obtain it.  The MRO will report the verified positive test result in the Clearinghouse.

For additional information, please visit https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

Posted by on in Regulatory Update, USDOT Drug Testing

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is establishing the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse will hold information on violations of the Department of Transportation (DOT) controlled substance and alcohol testing program for CDL holders. The purpose of this database is to prevent CDL holders with violations from moving from job to job and avoiding the repercussions of violations. The Clearinghouse closes current gaps, allowing prospective employers to obtain information on violations.

When will the Clearinghouse be available?

In the fall of 2019, you can begin registering for the Clearinghouse by establishing an account. The Clearinghouse will not become fully operational until January 6, 2020. Once operational, employers will be required to query both the Clearinghouse and request the drug and alcohol testing history from previous employers. When seeking violations, you must search three years of history. On January 6, 2023, the clearinghouse will replace the need for the previous employer requests. The information available in the Clearinghouse will be accessible for a minimum of five years. Each employer will be required to query the database as part of the pre-hire process, and again annually.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Employers, Medical Review Officers (MRO), and Substance Abuse Professionals will be required to report to the database. The reports will include any verified positive, adulterated, or substituted tests; any refusals to test; positive breath alcohol tests above 0.04; DUI citation and conviction records; actual knowledge of abusive substance use; and all return to duty and follow up results.

If you have any questions on the Clearinghouse, contact us at 1.800.452.0030!