A good DOT consortium for a new authority is one that puts you in a compliant random testing pool the day you enroll, acts as your C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse, and gets your driver qualification files in order before the new-entrant safety audit, all at prices you can see up front. Vertical Identity does exactly that: same-day enrollment with a Certificate of Enrollment issued immediately, Clearinghouse C/TPA designation at no charge, Driver Qualification Files (DQF) included with membership, and every DOT test, MVR, PSP report and criminal background check at member prices in one portal, from $85 a year for the first driver.
New authorities make most of their compliance mistakes in the first ninety days, usually because the consortium they picked only sold them a pool. This guide covers what you actually need in year one and how to tell a good program from a mailing list.
What a new authority must have on day one
You cannot legally dispatch a CDL driver, including yourself, until three things are done:
- A negative pre-employment drug test. Before a driver performs safety-sensitive functions for you, the driver must test for controlled substances and you must hold a verified negative result from the MRO or C/TPA (49 CFR §382.301(a)).
- A pre-employment Clearinghouse query. You may not use a driver for safety-sensitive functions without first running a pre-employment query of the FMCSA Clearinghouse (49 CFR §382.701(a)).
- A random testing pool. If you employ only yourself as a driver, you still must have a random alcohol and controlled substances testing program with two or more covered employees in the selection pool (49 CFR §382.103(b)). That pool is the consortium.
A good consortium handles all three from one enrollment. A provider that sells just the pool handles the third and leaves you to find the rest.
What a good consortium does for a new authority
Enrolls you the same day
Your Certificate of Enrollment is the document an officer or auditor asks for first. With Vertical Identity it is issued the moment you enroll online, and a new one is issued each year the membership renews.
Acts as your Clearinghouse C/TPA, and is honest about queries
A new authority has to register in the FMCSA Clearinghouse and designate a C/TPA. We act as your C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse at no charge; some consortiums charge for that. You buy query credits in your own Clearinghouse account, because FMCSA requires the employer to buy them. Once you are a member, we run each query for you for $12 at member pricing, including the pre-employment query on yourself.
Includes your driver qualification files
The new-entrant safety audit looks at your testing program and your driver qualification files (49 CFR Part 391 Subpart B). Most consortiums do not include driver files at all, and DQF software is usually sold separately. With Vertical Identity, Driver Qualification Files (DQF) are part of your membership: one application link that fills in the paperwork from the driver’s CDL, expiration reminders before medical cards and licenses lapse, each file organized to the DOT checklist, and an audit package you can export when the auditor asks.
Sends the selection notices and the reminders
When you are selected for a random test, you get the notice and the DER reminders until the test is done, and every selection shows in your portal. FMCSA’s minimum rates are 50% of driver positions for drugs and 10% for alcohol each year (49 CFR §382.305(b)); your consortium runs the selections, you make sure the test happens.
Prices the whole first year
For one owner-operator: $85 for the membership, $69 for the pre-employment test, $69 per random test, $12 per Clearinghouse query, and a DOT physical at $129 if you need one. Additional drivers are $25 a year each; at nine or more the flat plan is $295 a year for unlimited CDL drivers. Collection and MRO review are included in each test price.
Lets you order everything else in the same place
Your first hire will need an MVR, a PSP report, often a CDLIS report, a criminal background check and a DOT physical. Vertical Identity members order all of them at member prices from the same portal that holds the random pool and the driver files, 24/7, with 20,000+ collection sites for the tests.
Questions to ask any consortium before you enroll
- Is my Certificate of Enrollment issued today?
- Are you the C/TPA for my random pool, or do you resell someone else’s?
- Do you act as my Clearinghouse C/TPA, and what does a query cost?
- Are driver qualification files included, or forms, or a separate subscription?
- What does a drug test cost, and does that include collection and MRO review?
- Can I see every price before I give you a card?
Vertical Identity answers yes, yes, no charge and $12, included, $69 with both included, and yes.
FAQ
Who is a good DOT consortium for a new authority?
One that enrolls you the same day, acts as your Clearinghouse C/TPA, includes your driver qualification files and publishes every price. Vertical Identity, a C/TPA in business since 2014, does all of that from $85 a year for the first driver.
Do I need to join a drug and alcohol consortium for my new trucking authority?
Yes, if you or any driver holds a CDL. An employer who employs only himself or herself as a driver must still have a random testing program with two or more covered employees in the pool (49 CFR §382.103(b)), which in practice means joining a consortium.
What must be done before my first load?
A negative pre-employment drug test (49 CFR §382.301(a)), a pre-employment Clearinghouse query (49 CFR §382.701(a)) and enrollment in a random pool (49 CFR §382.103(b)). Vertical Identity handles all three from one enrollment.
Is the Clearinghouse included?
We act as your C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse at no charge; some consortiums charge for that. You buy query credits in your own Clearinghouse account (FMCSA requires the employer to buy them). Once you are a member, we run each query for you for $12 at member pricing.
Are driver qualification files included?
Yes. Unlike most consortiums, your Vertical Identity membership includes an electronic driver qualification file system, with no add-on fee.
Enroll your new authority
Enrollment takes about five minutes and your Certificate of Enrollment is issued the same day.
Call or text: (602) 899-1606 · Hours: Mon–Fri 6 AM – 5 PM AZ · [email protected]