Beginning January 6, 2020, any trucker wishing to change jobs must register in the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA. This requirement of the Administration is part of the new rules and requirements that the organization has just established. In addition, the voluntary registration will be open as of October 2019.
The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is a database at a federal level that seeks to provide information on any violation of the regulations established for Commercial Driver Licenses in relation to the use of drugs and alcohol. This way, the FMCSA seeks to inhibit the use and consumption of substances in commercial drivers. It also seeks to eliminate an important risk factor that affects not only the transport industry but any other driver who could be affected by a traffic accident.
As mentioned by the CDL Life site, all violations of the use of drugs and alcohol by those with a Commercial Driver’s License will be registered in the Clearinghouse database. Among others, these violations include:
- Report to duty or remain at work to perform functions that imply a risk to safety with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04, or under the effects of a controlled substance.
- Consume alcoholic beverages during working hours or four hours after having finished performing functions that represent a security risk.
- Test positive on the use of drugs or controlled substance, either in a post-accident test, an employment test, or a random test.
- Refusing to take a test for alcohol or drugs.
As of January 6, 2020, any registered driver will be giving permission for their current or future employer to access their electronic record and search for any documented violations. Likewise, all drivers will have access to their own electronic record via online and may dispute any error they find in the database.
The registration in the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse will only be a requirement until January 6, 2023. After then, all information will be stored in the database of this center, and the manual request for records will no longer be a requirement by the FMCSA.