Beginning November 18, 2024, truck drivers marked as “prohibited” in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse will face the revocation of their commercial driving privileges by State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLAs). The FMCSA’s second Final Rule, Clearinghouse-II, issued in October 2021, mandates SDLAs to adhere to stricter requirements concerning the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. This enhancement of existing federal regulations aims to ensure that drivers with a “prohibited” Clearinghouse status undergo the return-to-duty (RTD) process before their commercial driving privileges are reinstated.

“As established in the first Clearinghouse Final Rule, drivers with a “prohibited” Clearinghouse status are prohibited from operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) on public roads. The second Clearinghouse final rule (Clearinghouse-II) further supports this by ensuring that drivers with a “prohibited” Clearinghouse status do not continue to hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or commercial learner’s permit (CLP),” the FMCSA says.

The initial Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Final Rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) became effective on January 6, 2020. This rule mandates motor carriers to consult the online database when hiring a new driver and perform an annual check for existing drivers. The primary objective is to provide employers and law enforcement with immediate access to a driver’s records related to drug and alcohol violations, encompassing positive substance use tests and instances of test refusals. The Clearinghouse offers comprehensive information accessible to the FMCSA, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) employers, State Driver Licensing Agencies, and law enforcement authorities.

For additional information regarding the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, kindly click on the following link.