Clock's Ticking for Independents to Run Their Required Self-Check in Drug Clearinghouse
Small fleets have until Jan. 5 to run their first required annual query under the CDL Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse rule that took effect this year. If they do not meet the deadline, they could be flagged in violation in an inspection audit or compliance review, possibly resulting in a fine of up to $2,500 for non-compliance. For leased owner-operators running under a carrier's operating authority, there's no need to do anything within the clearinghouse except grant their carrier permission to run their CDL number in the clearinghouse for the required annual check. Motor carriers of all sizes are required to run a limited clearinghouse query on all of their drivers at least once every 12 months — and that includes independent owner-operators doing a self-check. However, the regulation counts for a check over a rolling 12-month period from the previous clearinghouse check. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported that as of the end of September, some 145,000 employer accounts had been created in the clearinghouse, which is far fewer than the roughly half-million carriers registered with operating authority that, presumably, will need to run a required annual query by Jan. 5. Owner-operators can perform this check in two ways: They can run their own CDL number in the clearinghouse platform, or they can have their consortium or third-party drug testing administrator run the query. Either way, owner-operators first must be registered within the clearinghouse, and they will need a dual account, one as an employer and one as a driver.
(Source: NLBMDA Workplace Safety & Risk Management, November 2020)
