FMCSA Clearinghouse, fully managed.
We're your C/TPA in the Clearinghouse at no charge. Designate us yourself with our instructions, or let us do the setup with you on a shared screen. Then order pre-employment and annual queries per driver, and if a driver tests positive, our Post SAP program handles the return-to-duty steps. $12 per query (our fee; the FMCSA query credit is separate), $199 white-glove setup, $240/yr Post SAP program.
Already a member? Run a query in the member portal → · members.verticalidentity.com/account
- C/TPA designation at no chargeYou designate Vertical Identity in the FMCSA Clearinghouse using our step-by-step instructions
- Clearinghouse Enrollment Setup (optional)White-glove: login.gov, the FMCSA Portal, USDOT link and the designation, done with you on a shared screen · $199 one time
- Pre-employment full queriesThe driver approves the full query in their own Clearinghouse account; the consent request goes to the driver, never the DER
- Annual limited queriesOrdered per driver at $12 (our fee); you buy the FMCSA query credits in your own account
- Return-to-dutySAP referral, observed return-to-duty test and follow-up tests through our $240/yr Post SAP program
- Results in the driver's fileWith DQF Pro, included with membership, the Clearinghouse query is part of each driver's DQF
What is the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse?
The FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse is the federal database — launched in January 2020 and required under 49 CFR Part 382 Subpart G — that holds every CDL driver's drug and alcohol testing violation history nationwide.
Before any motor carrier hires a CDL driver, or returns a driver to safety-sensitive duty after a violation, they must query the Clearinghouse to check for unresolved positive tests, refusals, or actual-knowledge findings. Every employer must also run a limited query on every active driver once per year. Owner-operators are required to register in both employer and driver roles and to designate a Consortium / Third-Party Administrator (C/TPA) to act on their behalf.
Vertical Identity acts as your C/TPA at no charge. You can designate us yourself with our instructions, or choose the white-glove Clearinghouse Enrollment Setup ($199 one-time), where we do it with you on a shared screen. We run pre-employment full queries and annual limited queries ($12 each, our fee; the FMCSA credit is separate), coordinate SAP referrals after a violation, and handle the return-to-duty paperwork through our Post SAP program.
Enrollment. Queries. Violations. Return-to-duty.
The Clearinghouse touches a CDL operation at four moments: when you set up, when you hire or run an annual check, when a driver tests positive, and when they earn their way back. We handle all four through one portal.
Enrollment
Two ways. On your own, at no charge: register, link your USDOT number and designate VID as your C/TPA with our instructions. White-glove, $199 one-time: our Clearinghouse Enrollment Setup does login.gov, employer and driver registration (owner-operators register in both roles), the USDOT link and the designation with you on a shared screen.
See enrollment →Queries
Pre-employment full query before first dispatch (the driver approves it in the Clearinghouse), annual limited query on every active driver. $12 per query, our fee; you buy the FMCSA query credits in your own Clearinghouse account.
See queries →Violations
When a positive, refusal, or actual-knowledge finding hits the Clearinghouse, the driver is immediately prohibited from safety-sensitive duty. We help start the path back, beginning with a SAP referral.
See violations →Plus return-to-duty through our $240/yr Post SAP program: SAP coordination, the observed return-to-duty test ($119), follow-up tests ($119 each) and Clearinghouse RTD-completion reporting. Tests are billed when ordered.
You designate. We do. You stay audit-ready.
Once Vertical Identity is your C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse, the rest happens through the member portal: you order each query, the driver approves full queries, and the result comes back to you.
You designate
One time, in the FMCSA Clearinghouse, you select Vertical Identity as your C/TPA, using our step-by-step instructions, at no charge. You also buy query credits in your own Clearinghouse account (FMCSA requires the employer to buy them). Reversible at any time.
We execute
Order through your member portal: a pre-employment full query for new hires, an annual limited query for active drivers. The driver approves the full query in their own Clearinghouse account; the request goes to the driver, never through HR or the DER.
You stay audit-ready
With DQF Pro, included with membership, the Clearinghouse query is part of each driver's file, and DQF Pro reminds you when each driver's yearly query is due. You can export a driver's complete file any time.
You designate Vertical Identity as your C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse, following our instructions.
We do it with you on a shared screen: login.gov, the FMCSA Portal and USDOT link, Clearinghouse registration and the C/TPA designation.
Four times you'll be glad we run it.
The Clearinghouse is mostly invisible — until it isn't. These are the moments where having a designated C/TPA makes the difference between routine and an audit finding.
Pre-employment query
The driver approves the full query in their Clearinghouse account, we run it and the result posts to your portal. Required before first dispatch per 49 CFR 382.701.
Year-end sweep
Every driver needs a query at least once a year. DQF Pro reminds you when each one is due. A limited query that shows records found moves to a full query.
Driver tests positive
The driver comes off safety-sensitive duty. Our Post SAP program helps with the SAP referral and starts the return-to-duty case.
RTD completion
Negative observed RTD test, at least 6 follow-up tests in the first 12 months, plan completion. We file the RTD result and follow-up plan to the Clearinghouse, and the driver returns to eligible status.
Queries are not included in the consortium membership; members order them per driver at $12 (our fee), and the FMCSA query credit is separate.
How much do FMCSA Clearinghouse services cost?
Member rates apply when the order is placed through your portal. The C/TPA designation is at no charge. The white-glove setup is one time per DOT, and queries and return-to-duty tests are billed when ordered.
Whole lifecycle, member rates.
Designate once, query as you hire and every year after. If a violation hits, the Post SAP program takes over. Same C/TPA, same portal, same records.
Member rates shown. The FMCSA query credit is separate: you buy it in your own Clearinghouse account. Order through the member portal →
Watch: the Clearinghouse and your C/TPA, explained
What the Clearinghouse is and why it exists, and why you designate your C/TPA and buy query credits in your own account before anyone can run queries for you.
Related Clearinghouse pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Don't see yours? Call or text (602) 899-1606.
Hours: Mon–Fri 6 AM – 5 PM AZ
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What is the FMCSA Clearinghouse?
The FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is a federal database that tracks CDL driver drug and alcohol violations under 49 CFR Part 382 Subpart G. Employers must query the Clearinghouse before hiring a CDL driver (full query) and at least once per year for each currently employed driver (limited query). Violations are reported by Medical Review Officers, employers, and Substance Abuse Professionals, and stay on the record for 5 years or until the driver completes the return-to-duty process.
Do I need to register with the Clearinghouse?
Yes — both employers AND drivers must register. All employers of CDL drivers must register, and owner-operators have to register in BOTH roles (employer + driver) since they're both. Drivers must register and provide electronic consent for full queries. There are two ways to connect with us. On your own: you designate Vertical Identity as your C/TPA using our instructions, at no charge. Or white-glove: our Clearinghouse Enrollment Setup ($199 one-time) does it with you on a shared screen, including login.gov, the FMCSA Portal and USDOT link, and the C/TPA designation.
How much do Clearinghouse queries cost through Vertical Identity?
We act as your C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse at no charge; some consortiums charge for that. Queries are not included in the membership: you buy query credits in your own Clearinghouse account (FMCSA requires the employer to buy them). Once you're a member, we run each query for you for $12 at member pricing. That is our fee; the FMCSA query credit is separate.
Can VID be designated as my C/TPA?
Yes. Vertical Identity is a Consortium/Third-Party Administrator. Once you register and link your USDOT number, you select VID as your C/TPA in the FMCSA portal, and we can then run queries on your behalf. Designating us is at no charge: do it yourself with our instructions, or choose the white-glove Clearinghouse Enrollment Setup ($199) and we do it with you on a shared screen. This is the standard setup for owner-operators and small fleets.
What if a driver tests positive — what does VID handle?
When a violation hits the Clearinghouse, the driver is immediately prohibited from safety-sensitive duty until they complete the SAP return-to-duty process. Through our Post SAP program ($240/yr) we coordinate the SAP referral, schedule the directly-observed return-to-duty test ($119), manage the follow-up tests (at least 6 in the first 12 months, $119 each), and file the negative RTD result and follow-up plan completion to the Clearinghouse. Tests are billed when ordered.
How long are Clearinghouse records kept?
Per 49 CFR 382.711, violation records remain in the Clearinghouse for 5 years from the date of the violation, OR until the driver completes the full return-to-duty process — whichever is later. Negative pre-employment query results are kept for 3 years. With DQF Pro, included with membership, the Clearinghouse query is part of each driver's file.
Designate. Order. Forget about it.
Members run Clearinghouse queries through one portal, and we're your C/TPA at no charge. Not a member yet? Join the consortium, then designate us yourself or book the white-glove setup.