Joe Reilly on Drug Testing in America

How The FMCSA Clearinghouse Keeps Unsafe Drivers Off The Road

• Joe Reilly • Season 1 • Episode 10

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Ever wonder how a driver with a positive test can’t just jump to another carrier and keep rolling? We dig into the FMCSA Clearinghouse and translate the rules into clear actions for drivers, employers, owner-operators, TPAs, and SAPs. You’ll hear what triggers prohibited status, how state DMVs downgrade CDLs, and the exact steps required to get back behind the wheel through the SAP-led return-to-duty process.

We talk through the roles with precision: why drivers must register before seeking work, how employers run pre-employment and annual queries, and who reports positives, alcohol violations, and refusals. You’ll learn the difference between MRO-reported drug positives and employer-determined refusals, and why collectors document but never determine refusals. For carriers, we outline policy essentials, documentation tips, and the practical impact of zero-tolerance rules, including the mandatory SAP referral even at termination.

Owner-operators and unemployed drivers get a roadmap too. We explain the mandatory CTPA designation, what a consortium handles inside the Clearinghouse, and the special carve-out that lets an out-of-work driver complete the RTD test by registering as both employer and driver. TPAs will hear how to register, price services, and support clients who struggle with queries, reporting, and follow-up schedules. SAPs’ responsibilities are spelled out, from initial assessment to final evaluation and the confidential follow-up testing plan that carriers must execute.

Along the way, we share real numbers and real stakes: at one point, 174,000 open violations sat in the Clearinghouse. The system exists to keep roads safe while giving drivers a structured, verifiable path back to safety-sensitive duty. If you manage CDL compliance—or plan to get your CDL back—this guide will help you reduce risk, save time, and make smarter decisions.

If this helped clarify the Clearinghouse, subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review telling us what topic you want us to tackle next.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to another podcast episode of Joe Riley on Drug Testing in America. This is episode 10 with your sponsor, FMCSA Clearinghouse. And now, Joe Riley.

SPEAKER_03:

Hello, Jesse. I am happy to be here today on our episode 10, which is about the FMCSA Clearinghouse. And I have uh our guest, which is Tony Thompson. And uh Tony is our lead customer service representative at both National Drug Screening and Clearinghouse Services.com. So welcome, Tony. Thank you for having me. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to where you are today with uh the drug testing and the clearinghouse business.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I started my career with national drug screening in June of 2019. And as Joe said, I started as a customer service rep and account setup coordinator, and I have been with the clearinghouse since they launched in January of 2020.

SPEAKER_03:

Awesome. So that's like five years when the clearinghouse launched, and uh I know you've become quite the expert on all things clearinghouse. Absolutely. Good. So what'd you do before uh national drug screening?

SPEAKER_00:

Prior to national drug screening, I was actually a trainer for a company that took care of websites for other companies. So I actually trained individuals on multiple software programs and policies and anything to do with that particular customer that they were dealing with at the time.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, well, you probably told me that when I hired you, but I think I forgot that. I think maybe there's some some other website stuff that we can have you do.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So with all that, Tony, what do you do for fun?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, what I do for fun is I like to go to the gun range with my husband and my grandsons. Uh-oh. We are big, you know, Second Amendment folks, but we want to do it right. We want to assure that they're all safe while they're doing these things. And I spend time with my family and, of course, my multiple pets. That's what I do for fun.

SPEAKER_03:

All right. I've heard a little bit about those pets, and I know you really take care of them. Jesse, you want to uh tell us a little bit more about our sponsor, which is FMCSA Clearinghouse Incorporated, or sometimes we call it Clearinghouse Services.com.

SPEAKER_02:

Clearinghouseservices.com is our sponsor. The purpose of Clearinghouse Services Incorporated is to help employers comply with the requirements of the clearinghouse rule. Membership services are available for unlimited consultation with your responsibilities for the clearinghouse. Now, the firm helps FMCSA employers, drivers, TPAs, and SAPs with their responsibilities in the FMCSA Clearinghouse. So thank you once again, Clearinghouse Services. You find them at ClearingHouse Services.com.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. Awesome. So what is the FMCSA Clearinghouse? So the FMCSA stands for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation, and FMCSA has regulated trucking companies and uh motor coach bus companies. And for many years there was no clearinghouse, and truck drivers would test positive for an illicit drug, and they would leave the job and they'd go get a new job, and they wouldn't tell anybody that they had previously tested positive, and therefore they hadn't gone through any type of rehabilitation and return to duty process, which is compliant and required by the regulations. So after a lot of discussion over many years, Congress told the FMCSA to get this clearinghouse underway. And it's a database that's keeping track of drivers that test positive. And if they get in that database as a driver who tested positive, they go on a prohibited status. They can't drive in a FMCSA CDL position, and they actually lose their CDL status, so that gets downgraded to a regular license. So there's lots of folks that interact with the clearinghouse, and we're going to ask Tony some questions, and we're going to break it down into the different what we call players or roles in the clearinghouse. And we're going to start with drivers. So, Tony, can you tell us what is the role and responsibility in the clearinghouse for CDL drivers?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, the actual database is all about the driver. Every CDL that is issued is automatically in this database. The driver has to register when they're seeking employment. A query has to be done on them to make sure that they don't have any violations that they haven't addressed or taken care of. So that's their primary role and responsibility is to make sure that they're registered in that database so that when they're looking for employment, the employer can do what they are required to do.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And you mentioned a query, which we'll come back and talk about later because that's becomes the employer's responsibility. We'll come back and talk about that. So Clearinghouse Services.com, we often help drivers. So what type of service request do drivers actually ask you for assistance with?

SPEAKER_00:

The largest one that they'll ask for assistance with is actually registering for the clearinghouse. They have an employer that's done that query on them and they need to know what they have to do to be able to let the driver get their or the, I'm sorry, the company get their information. The second most popular thing they seek assistance with is if they have a violation, it's what do I do next?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And that uh that gets a little a bit of uh a hassle for them, but because they uh got into a situation that's not safe, they now need to go through this whole return to duty process, which we'll talk a little bit more. Absolutely. Um Are there any crazy stories regarding drivers in the clearinghouse or any anything that comes to mind that uh is kind of out of out of the ordinary?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I think I the craziest one I ever ran across was I had a driver call in wanting to know how he gets a violation removed. After speaking to him, he told me that it wasn't his violation, that his brother used his CDL, and he was the one that got the violation. So I thought that was a little odd.

SPEAKER_03:

That would be a uh a good story. Don't let your brother use your CDL license and get you on the prohibited list where you can't get a job and now you have to go through an expensive return-to-duty process. Absolutely. So that that's awesome. Now let's move on, Tony, to FMCSA regulated employers. And those are employers that have trucks or have buses, and they hire drivers. And for the drug and alcohol testing program and the clearinghouse, it applies to drivers that fit into one of three categories. So it's not every driver that has a CDL out there, because anybody could have a CDL and maybe not using it. Okay. So it's drivers that are driving trucks that have a gross weight rating of 26,01 pounds or more. So that's basically our large trucks, or it is drivers that are transporting 16 or more passengers, including the driver. So that's basically our private motor coach buses. And also CDL drivers that are operating vehicles that are required to be placarded, that is giving notice that they are transporting hazardous materials. And that's for any size vehicle if they are transporting hazardous materials and they need to be placarded. So those are the types of drivers that are what we call FMCSA regulated for drug and alcohol testing, and also for the FMCSA clearinghouse. So regarding employers, Tony, a few questions. What are the initial responsibilities for the employer in the clearinghouse?

SPEAKER_00:

Their initial responsibility, of course, is to register and make sure that any driver that they currently employ gets an annual query done. Any new drivers that they wish to hire, potential drivers, that they're querying the database to make sure the driver is eligible to drive for their company.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So uh just to clarify, uh, and correct me if I'm wrong, the query is where I kind of go into the database and I say, tell me about this driver.

SPEAKER_00:

Correct. You're asking the database, is there any information on this driver in this database that indicates that he has violated the required FMCSA drug and alcohol testing program?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So the guy's on the prohibited list, sounds like you don't want to be on the prohibited list. Jesse, you haven't been on that, have you? No. Okay, excellent. So Tony, uh, driver goes for their drug test, they're positive. Who reports the positive drug test to the clearinghouse?

SPEAKER_00:

The MRO that reviews that drug test is the individual that's going to report that positive urine drug screening to the clearinghouse.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So the MRO being the medical review officer that receives the results from the laboratory, reviews them, they call every person that's positive and gives them a chance to potentially explain that positive result with a legitimate medical explanation, like a prescribed drug that can be verified, but if it's not verified, that medical review officer or MRO is automatically telling the clearinghouse this guy's positive, and the clearinghouse then, or the scale is positive, and the clearinghouse puts that person on the prohibited list.

unknown:

Correct.

SPEAKER_03:

Alrighty. So what about alcohol tests that are positive? Who reports those to the clearinghouse? Because alcohol tests don't go through an MRO. That is an employer responsibility. Okay. So the employers have some responsibilities in the clearinghouse, and one of them would be if they get a positive alcohol test result, they need to log into the clearinghouse where they're already registered and they already have an account. Okay. And they need to put in there that driver John or driver Sally has a positive alcohol test, that driver now is on the prohibited list. Again, where you don't want to be. Tony, what about refusals to test? If somebody refuses a test, is that bad? And does that get reported to the clearinghouse?

SPEAKER_00:

That is bad. We don't want to see a refusal. They do get reported, but they're reported differently than your urine analysis. A refusal has two people dependent upon the issue that created a refusal that can report that. One is an employer-determined refusal. The second one is a medical review officer's uh determination of a refusal to test.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So the medical review officer might report a refusal because they got back a lab result that says it was adulterated or substituted. And those are two clear indications that the person attempted to cheat on the test. And therefore, under the regulations, that's considered a refusal. So that's where the MRO reports to the clearinghouse, Tony? Yes, it is. Okay. And then the employer is reporting when the employer makes a decision based on maybe the driver said, I'm not going for the drug test, or they go for the drug test and they don't show up, or they have a behavioral issue at the drug test where it doesn't get completed, or if it's found that they are attempting to cheat on the test and they admit to cheating, those are employer-determined refusals where the employer reports that refusal. And Tony, does the collector or the collection site do they ever report a refusal to the clearinghouse?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely not. They're going to let the employer know what transpired during the collection event for the employer to make that determination. A collector and a collection site never makes a refusal determination.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, excellent. So when we train collectors, which we do, okay, we make that very clear. But they must document what happened, and they want to document it very clearly, and they want to call the employer and tell them what happened, and fax or email over that documentation right away. And I always tell collectors that you want to do that right away because when that driver gets back to work, the story they tell their employer is going to be totally different. So first in wins and documentation wins. So the collectors want to get that information over to the employer, and employers need to realize that they have a very serious responsibility to call that a refusal and report it to the clearing house. Tony, do you ever get any pushback on that from employers?

SPEAKER_00:

Occasionally we do because they'll tell us, well, you know, this is somebody I've known for a long time, and you know, he had to leave because he had another appointment. So occasionally you do get pushback, but they need to comply with the FMCS re regulations when it comes to their drug testing program.

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely. They need to comply. The employer has responsibilities. Now let's talk further about the driver who has a violation. They get on the prohibited list and their CDL license gets downgraded because the clearinghouse talks to all the State Department of Motor Vehicles. They talk to them electronically through an integration. So that driver gets a violation, and the employer is required to provide that driver a list of substance abuse professionals or what we call a SAP, and that driver must contact the SAP for evaluation, education, and possible treatment. So they're on the prohibited list, they don't have a CDL license, so they're not working. Maybe they're sweeping the floor in the warehouse or they're just totally suspended. How does a driver get off the prohibited list?

SPEAKER_00:

They get off the prohibited list by completing the SAP program. That means they have to find a SAP, they're going to need to designate that SAP to perform certain duties for them in the clearinghouse. And they need to do the initial evaluation, they need to do the treatment that the SAP recommends. They'll have a second evaluation, and then the SAP will determine if that driver is ready to have a return to duty test done.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So a return to duty test is kind of like um I take this test and maybe I get out of jail.

SPEAKER_00:

Kind of.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And it's got a I'm I'm I'm a hundred percent assuming it has to be a negative result on the return to duty.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. It must be a direct observed collection and it must be a negative result in order for it to be reported to the clearinghouse.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, so it's direct observed, meaning somebody of the same gender has to go in and watch that person and make sure that urine is coming out of their body. Absolutely. And into the cup. Okay. And who reports that negative return to duty test to the clearinghouse?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, if the employer manages their own clearinghouse, it would be the employer that sent the driver in for that return to duty test.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

If it's a CTPA that is overseeing that program for that particular driver, it's going to be their responsibility to report that negative return to duty test to the clearinghouse on behalf of that driver.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So just for our audience to understand, a CTPA stands for consortium slash third party administrator, which is a company like National Drug Screening that helps employers manage their drug and alcohol testing program. And also helps owner operators, those folks with one truck, one person, one company. They don't really have a boss. It's themselves. What about those people, Tony? Who's who are they relying on for help and this stuff getting reported or not getting reported, etc.?

SPEAKER_00:

Owner operators are a different breed. They absolutely have to have a CTPA, a third-party administrator, designated in the clearinghouse to perform all clearinghouse responsibilities for them. That's reporting any violations, that's reporting any return to duty or follow-up testing. That's to do the annual query on them and to do pre-employment query on them when they initially start out. Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Now let's just talk for a minute about the owner operator or any driver really, okay. They let's talk about any driver that works for a company, okay. Um, is the company allowed to fire them?

SPEAKER_00:

What do you mean when you say allowed to fire them?

SPEAKER_03:

Well, let's say they have a positive test and the company has a zero tolerance policy.

SPEAKER_00:

If it's in their policy, they absolutely have a right to terminate employment with that driver.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. But they also on the way out would give them the referral list for the SAP.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. That is their responsibility. If they're going to terminate that driver, they must provide that driver with SAP information so that driver has the opportunity to begin that process.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And that is required. Yes. And so if if that driver loses his job, so he's out on his own, he might go to the SAP. If he doesn't, he's never going to get a job again as a truck driver, correct? That's correct. Okay. So maybe that's his only way to earn a living. So he says, I better go see this SAP. Now maybe he takes a couple of months off and goes fishing. Can he go see the SAP after a few months? He can start his SAP program when he's ready to start that SAP program. So he starts his SAP program and he successfully completes it. The SAP does that follow-up evaluation and now says, Well, now you're eligible for a return to duty test, and he starts looking for a job. And what do those employers tell him, Tony?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, a majority of the employers will actually tell an unemployed driver that they are not willing to do the return-to-duty test for that driver. However, if that driver goes and gets that test done by another means, they will and gets off the prohibited list, they will take a chance on that driver, but they do not want to take a chance on the initial test, possibly coming back positive again.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, they don't they don't want to mess with it basically, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_03:

So what are the other means? What what's the option for an unemployed driver who he's like he's walking around saying, hey, I need a return to duty test. How can I get one?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, there's a special carve out for unemployed drivers with the FMCSA. They can actually register as an owner operator would register. So they're gonna register as an employer and as a driver. And with that option, they can actually designate a consortium third party administrator just like an owner operator does to perform the return to duty test for them. Okay, excellent.

SPEAKER_03:

And so now they might go to a TPA like National Drug Screening, and we help them get that return-to-duty test, and it's negative, and we report that in the clearinghouse, and the driver gets off the prohibited list. And I always tell them, well, as soon as you're off that list, go down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and ask them to upgrade your license back to CDL. Now they can apply for jobs. Okay. And it's not until they get a job that that employer will start a follow-up testing schedule, which is required and based on the SAP's requirements, and it could be six tests over a year, it could be more tests up to five years, and also the driver is now going to be enrolled in that employer's random testing program. So they're gonna have a lot of tests that they need to complete, and you cannot mix and match the random and the follow-up. You do one or the other when you're ready to have that person do their testing. And um, Tony, the follow-up testing is only done by the employer, is that correct?

SPEAKER_00:

That is absolutely correct. Only an employer can do follow-up testing for a driver.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, all right. Now let's move over and talk about the uh consortium slash third party administrator or the CTPA uh a little bit, because uh a CTPA gets involved in the clearinghouse. Okay. Um what do they need to do to get started if a TPA that sells drug and alcohol testing wants to now offer services to help an employer with the clearinghouse? Where does the TPA get started?

SPEAKER_00:

They get started at the clearinghouse website, just like an employer would or an owner operator. They need to register. They need to register as a consortium third party provider so that they're visible to other uh employers or owner operators or even drivers to designate for their assistance.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So it sounds to me like anybody who has like interaction in the FMCSA actually government-run clearinghouse has to register to be a part of that clearinghouse.

SPEAKER_00:

If they're providing services related to the clearinghouse, yes, they have to be registered in order to do that.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And we we learned earlier that drivers have to register and then employers have to register, and now consortium slash TPAs have to register. Is that registration process simple, easy, complex, hard?

SPEAKER_00:

For me, and to be honest with you, because I've been doing it for five years, the process is easy regardless of whether it's a CTPA registering, an employer, an owner operator, a driver. But for the agents themselves, it can seem daunting and complicated, but there are some really good guides out there to help, and I'm there to help as well when they sign up with us to assist them to get set up correctly in the clearinghouse to be able to provide the services. Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

So a TPA, uh obviously national drug screening is a TPA, we're registered in the clearinghouse, but let's say uh Jesse opens up a TPA, Jesse's drug testing business. Um, you know anything about that business, Jesse?

SPEAKER_02:

No ideas.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So, and he wants to provide also clearinghouse services. Um, does he charge uh employers for those services? He absolutely can. Okay. Should he? He absolutely should. Absolutely. Because it takes time to help the employer or the driver uh with that administrative assistance, and that's a service that people will gladly pay for when they get confused in the clearinghouse. Does that sound about right, Tony? Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, it absolutely does.

SPEAKER_03:

So do you get calls from uh TPAs that are absolutely confused?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, I do, and I am happy to help them. They become members with Clearinghouse Services.com. I get them through the setup process, I get their additional folks added to the account for them that they want to have access to the clearinghouse database. And anytime they have questions regarding issues with maybe one of their customers, driver, they'll give me a call and seek the guidance. Okay, this is the situation. What do I do now? What do I tell the employer?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So it sounds like uh clearinghouse services.com, which is a private company, not affiliated with the official FMCSA Clearinghouse. Um, we just kind of gave it a name to to actually, you know, say what we do. We help people with the clearinghouse, and they can go to our website. We were we were smart enough to to register that website, and folks can uh purchase a membership, very low cost, very reasonable, and then Tony and her team will help those folks navigate the clearinghouse. And depending on whether it's a driver, an employer, or a CTPA, we got members in all three categories, right, Tony? Absolutely. Okay. So um what does we we talked about what a driver asks for. I think we talked about um they ask for help with registration. And they ask for help when they have a uh positive and they don't think they should have a positive because it was their brother or something like that, right? Yes. Okay. Um what type of help do employers ask for?

SPEAKER_00:

Employers ask for help with running queries on their drivers, running queer pre-employment queries on possible new hires.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

They also ask for guidance and help with situations that may come up. Is this something that should be reported to the clearinghouse? And if it is, how do I report it? Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

And does it cost money to run a query?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, it does. The employer has to purchase the queries, because only employers can, and they are$1.25 each. So every time they run a query on an employee, whether it's a current employee or someone they're choosing to hire, is gonna use one of those query credits.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And who are they purchasing those dollar twenty-five credits from?

SPEAKER_00:

They are purchased through the FMCSA Clearinghouse. So it's the dot gov website that those are purchased through.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, so the government's making a dollar twenty-five for every query. Absolutely. That sounds pretty reasonable. I think it is. Um now, if uh a TPA like National Drug Screening, if they're hiring us to run the queries, do we charge money for that?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh yes, we do.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, we do. They have to purchase the queries and then they're charged for our service for us to run those queries for them.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And as a member, do they get some some free queries from us?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, depending on the level of membership they purchase, they can get anywhere from 10 to 20 free queries in there.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and the levels of membership for an employer. Kind of based on how many employees they have. I think it's um 20 or less or over 20, and there's two different uh membership levels there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

And owner operators can also purchase an even lower cost membership because they're just that one person. Um so you're helping drivers, right? Yes. And you're helping employers. Absolutely. Okay. And what kind of help do TPAs need? Why would they purchase a membership?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, they purchase a membership primarily for the actual knowledge of how the system, how the clearinghouse works. They're not as familiar as, say, I am, and they'll come up with an issue or situation will arise for one of their customers, and they're not quite sure how to address it or how to help their customer address it. They'll call for some guidance on that situation.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. So it sounds like you're their ongoing uh um expert and consultant for them. Absolutely. Okay, well that that's great. You've done a great job with that. Um, so TPAs can become members. Um, what about SAPs? Do they have a responsibility in the clearinghouse?

SPEAKER_00:

They absolutely do have a responsibility. They are the very beginning of that return to duty program for that driver. Okay. They have to be registered in the clearinghouse so that the driver can designate them. And there are certain steps that they have to complete on that driver's behalf to get that driver to the point where he can do that return to duty test. They have to report the initial assessment, they have to uh advise what that treatment plan was, they have to report the final assessment and say when that driver is ready to have that return to duty program. And then once that driver finds someone that's going to take him along with that program, be it a TPA for an unemployed driver or an employer, they have to provide the information to the employer on what the follow-up testing plan is because the driver should not know how many follow-up tests he needs to complete.

SPEAKER_03:

So those are kind of like surprise tests.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, they're like, ta-da, it's time for you to go.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, like maybe after uh maybe after a three-day weekend. Tuesday morning. Maybe Tuesday morning, and they look a little bit hungover, they get that follow-up test. Uh so it sounds like Clearinghouse Services.com, very comprehensive. And are there any SAPs that are members?

SPEAKER_00:

We do have a couple of SAPs.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And they just want to have somebody to lean on to and and ask for help when they have to get into the clearinghouse. Absolutely. Okay. Now we talked about MROs earlier, the medical review officer, which they have to be registered in the clearinghouse, and they have to report the positive drug test, and and they're pretty they're pretty savvy on what they have to do because they do it every single day. Um, so we don't I don't believe that at Clearinghouse Services.com we get many inquiries from MROs? No. Okay. They kind of have to do what they what they have to do. Um so what about drivers that maybe they don't want a membership, they looked at it, but they just have a couple of questions and do just need some some assistance. Um, and they're gonna call you and maybe take up 15 or 20 minutes of your time. Do we do that for free?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_03:

Good. I'm glad to hear that.

SPEAKER_00:

We have driver assistance okay for$25, sir. You can talk to me and I will help you with whatever you need.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And do we have drivers that take advantage of that?

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely do. Good. Absolutely. Um, can you think of anything I missed on the the types of assistance that Clearinghouse Services.com offers to really anybody in the industry?

SPEAKER_00:

No, I don't think we really did miss anything, Joe. It looks like we pretty much covered everything that we provide.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, and I know the members have access to a password protected section of our Clearinghouse Services.com website with lots of resources and language for a policy, certain forms that they can utilize. Do you see employers taking advantage of those uh password protected resources?

SPEAKER_00:

They absolutely do. They particularly like the one where they can get the consent form and provide it to their employees so when it comes time to do an annual query, they can do what's called a limited query. It doesn't require a driver to log in and consent. So you're not pulling the driver away from any of his duties to log into the database and consent, but it's a form that they can word to actually give their driver and say that as long as you're employed with us, you're giving us consent to run this annual query on you.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, great. And do uh employers um seek assistance from Clearinghouse Services.com to run that annual query?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, our members do. They'll provide me their list of drivers and we get that uploaded into the system. We run it. When the results come back, we export it to a document and send it back to them for their records so that they know their drivers have all been completed.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, that's that's that's really good. You really explained this excellent, Tony. Let's do a little test here. Jesse, did you learn anything? Yes. Okay. Do you have any questions?

SPEAKER_02:

No, no. What'd you learn? Well, uh, you guys will help train um any of the employers on uh how to treat uh their drivers with any of the positive or negative results, and uh and that you could help the lone guys, the the single drivers, or the big corporations with many drivers.

SPEAKER_03:

Excellent, excellent. So um clearinghouse services.com. We want to make sure that anybody who needs more information, you can go to the website. There's lots of free information on the website. You can call and ask a question, you can join very uh reasonable membership. I do want to thank our listening audience for listening or viewing today. Uh if you like this content, please share it, please like it, please ring the bell, please subscribe, please make comments, please ask questions. And I'm I'm supposed to say that, and Jesse, um, did I say it right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. You no no longer need me anymore, Joe.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. And Tony, do you have anything else you wanted to share about uh today and and the podcast that we're talking about?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, actually, I would just like to add the fact that I am very passionate about the clearinghouse, the FMCSA Clearinghouse, and what they do. It's keeping my family safe when they're out on the roads, when you have employers and responsible individuals following exactly what they're supposed to do and being compliant with all of this.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's a great point because that's the whole point of not only the drug and alcohol testing program for DOT regulated companies, keeping our our roads and our skies and our railroads, you know, safe. The clearinghouse, you know, we've got 700,000 truck drivers on the road. And, you know, at one point, I believe there was over 100,000 people with violations. Maybe even more, right, Tony?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh the highest I've seen it was 174,000 drivers that had open violations.

SPEAKER_03:

174,000 drivers with violations. Can you imagine if they were all on the road and weren't put on the prohibited list? That's a lot of people smoking pot and snorting cocaine and shooting up heroin that'd be driving around killing people. And that would not not be good. So um thanks, Tony, for bringing that up. And uh thanks everybody for being with us. Jesse, want to uh thank our sponsor?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, real quick, thank you again to ClearingHealth Services.com. The purpose of Clearing House Services Incorporated or Clearing House Services Inc. is to help employers comply with the requirements of the clearinghouse rule. Membership services are available for unlimited consultation with your responsibilities for the clearinghouse. So stay compliant, call clearinghouse services.com today.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and we're here to serve, we're here to help, we're here to break down the complexity and make it as easy as possible. Thank you, Tony, for joining us. You did a great job, great information. I wouldn't have been able to do it with just me and Jesse. No, I don't think so. So, and and thanks everybody for listening. And Jesse, you want to close out the show?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, once again, thank you for tuning in to another episode of Joe Riley on drug testing in America. And uh, once again, click that subscribe button, ring the bell, and uh share with your friends. And of course, we do read the comments, so leave questions in the comments below. Thank you guys so much, and until next time.