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National database ensures violators don’t slip through the cracks

Results from the first full year of operation of the DOT Clearinghouse confirm that employers and the public are benefitting from the extra monitoring protection afforded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) nationwide database. More than 56,000 drug and alcohol violations were recorded in 2020, of which most were for positive drug use.

“This tells us the DOT Clearinghouse is working,” says Wisconsin Drug Testing Consortium president Mike Bray. “It’s keeping our roadways safe and helps employers ensure they are hiring a competent driver who is drug and alcohol-free.”

The primary purpose of the DOT Clearinghouse is to prevent drivers from switching employers in order to circumvent the required return-to-duty process. A summary report from the FMCSA notes that of the 45,000 drivers who lost their jobs due to violations, 34,000 have not yet completed the return-to-work program. The violations also include drivers who declined to take a test or were suspected of cheating on their test.

Drivers have a grace period to register with the DOT Clearinghouse

The FMCSA allows drivers up to three years to sign up for the DOT Clearinghouse. Once in the program, nothing appears on the driver’s file unless they have a violation. Employers access those records by conducting a query in the DOT Clearinghouse system to ensure the driver did not have a drug or alcohol violation with another employer.

In addition to pre-employment queries, employers are required to check the DOT Clearinghouse database annually to ensure none of their employees have had drug violations. The return-to-duty process allows drivers to return to the road after completing a treatment process. By far the most violations in the DOT Clearinghouse are for drug test failures, with the majority of those for marijuana use.

WDTC has access to 17,000 drug test collection sites coast to coast. Most are smaller facilities that offer convenient parking and walk-in service. WDTC enhances driver safety at its own drug test collection sites in Appleton, Oshkosh and Green Bay with fully vaccinated staffs.

Call WDTC for more information about our network of drug test collection sites and their role with the DOT Clearinghouse.

About Wisconsin Drug Testing Consortium

Wisconsin Drug Testing Consortium is an accredited, Certified Third Party Administrator (C-TPA), and specializes in consortium management; a variety of drug testing methods, including urine, hair and fingernails; post-accident testing; pre-employment drug tests; criminal background checks; supervisor training programs to keep employees compliant with DOT regulations; pre-employment DOT physicals; and paternity DNA testing. Headquartered in Green Bay, WDTC also has offices in Oshkosh and Appleton, Wisconsin. Call 888-784-8842 or visit https://widrugtesting.com for more information.