A federal database of DOT drug and alcohol violations
The FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is a secure, federal, online database run by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
It was established under 49 CFR Part 382, Subpart G, and has been operational since January 6, 2020. It gives FMCSA, employers, and authorized officials one place to check whether a CDL or CLP holder has a verified drug or alcohol program violation on record — things like a positive test, a refusal to test, or an unresolved return-to-duty status.
Before the Clearinghouse existed, there was no single system connecting this information across employers. A driver who failed or refused a test at one company could sometimes move to a new one without that employer ever finding out. The Clearinghouse was built specifically to close that gap.
Registration is how you give consent — and how you can check your own record
Employers are required to run a Clearinghouse query before hiring a CDL driver, and an annual query on every CDL driver they currently employ. To complete one of these queries, the employer needs your electronic consent — and you can only give that consent if you're already registered.
In practice, that means registration isn't something you're forced to do the moment you get your CDL, but it becomes necessary very quickly, since almost no FMCSA-regulated employer can hire or keep you without being able to run that query. Getting registered ahead of time, rather than scrambling when a job offer is on the table, avoids unnecessary hiring delays.
Registration also gives you something valuable on its own: free, unlimited access to your own Clearinghouse record, any time you want to check it.
What every driver should know before registering
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Registration is free. There is no cost for a driver to register in the Clearinghouse.
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You register through Login.gov, the federal government's secure identity verification system used across multiple agencies.
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You can view your own record for free, anytime once registered — including any violations, employer queries, and return-to-duty progress.
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A violation stays on record for 5 years from the violation date, or until you complete the return-to-duty (RTD) process — whichever comes later.
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Owner-operators must designate a C/TPA (Consortium/Third-Party Administrator), since violations for owner-operators can only be reported to the Clearinghouse through that channel.
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Identity verification was added starting April 27, 2026 for certain new registrations, as part of FMCSA's effort to prevent fraudulent Clearinghouse accounts.
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Registering is not an admission of anything. It does not report a violation, assign fault, or trigger any enforcement action on its own.
Go straight to the source
These links go directly to FMCSA and other official U.S. government resources. Clear To Roll does not operate, control, or maintain any of these websites.