Employers of CDL Drivers Must Purchase a Query Plan

Companies that employ CDL drivers have to conduct queries in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. For this, they have to purchase a query plan before carrying out queries.

What is a Query?

This is an electronic check in the Clearinghouse. It is carried out by an employer or their designated C/TPA. The aim of the query is to verify if a current or potential employee is prohibited from performing safety-sensitive tasks. Such functions include operating a commercial vehicle. Unsolved drug and alcohol program violations are a serious reason to refuse the employee.

Types of Queries

There are two types of queries:

Limited queries satisfy the annual query requirement.

Full queries include all pre-employment queries.

Regardless of the type, all of them demand driver consent which depends on the query type.

What Should Employers Know About Purchasing a Query Plan?

Employers can buy a query plan in the Clearinghouse. This plan allows them to conduct queries of driver Clearinghouse records. To purchase the plan, registered employers have to log into their Clearinghouse accounts. The FMCSA Clearinghouse is the only place where the query plan can be bought.

If you are the employer, you need to purchase the query plan because you are charged a fee for conducting queries in the Clearinghouse. You must buy this plan to ensure that you and your designated C/TPAs can carry out queries. Take into account that C/TPAs cannot purchase queries on behalf of employers.

Also, working with a C/TPA to manage a drug and alcohol testing program is a requirement of all owner-operators as well.

What is the Clearinghouse Final Rule?

According to the FMCSA regulations, the Clearinghouse final rule requires the following:

Employers must query the Clearinghouse for current and potential employees’ drug and alcohol violations before permitting those employees to operate CMVs on public roads.

Employers must annually query the Clearinghouse for each driver they currently employ.

How to Choose the Query Plan?

The query plan depends on the number of queries you need to carry out. If you are not sure about it, select the large enough plan to cover all drivers you currently employ. In the future, you can buy another plan if you need it.

Become a member of Make Trucking Great Again Association (MTGAA)
Coming Soon!
MTGAA offers in the insurance industry
Our unique partnerships with various insurance companies allow us to create a list of flexible discounts. Here is the loyalty program from MTGAA, which we are justifiably proud of.
American Service Stations and their Happy Hours for truckers
Among the repairers, our association has many friends. Therefore, MTGAA has the opportunity to receive unique discounts.
Loyalty Program that allows satisfying the truckers
Gasoline prices always and everywhere excite all car owners. That is why we knew our offer would not leave any of the truckers indifferent.
Other benefits that allow understanding the advantage of membership in the MTGAA
Today, our MTGAA is primarily a business platform. Now professional organizations act as not only intermediaries between workers and the government.
Similar Articles

The MTGAA Petitioned the FMCSA to Amend the 34-Hour Driver Shift Schedule

In particular, the email explicitly mentions a 34-hour reset.

Read more
Operation Safe Driver Week

2021 Operation Safe Driver Week Will Focus on Speeding

This year’s Operation Safe Driver Week will run on July 11-17. During this time, the authorized bodies will carry out activities aimed at improving road

Read more
CVSA Updated Out-of-Service Criteria

CVSA Updated Out-of-Service Criteria

On April 1, 2021, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance updated the Out-of-Service Criteria. Authorities use these criteria to identify violations related to

Read more
On March 17, 2021, the American Transportation Research Institute a new report. It deals with the costs of deploying and operating a national vehicle mile traveled (VMT) tax. Earlier in 2020, ATRI's Research Advisory Committee identified this research as a top priority. The research was done in two stages. First, the ATRI learned the technical and administrative requirements of charging every U.S. driver for miles driven to determine a federal system's opportunities and problems. Second, the researchers calculated the expenses of operating a VMT tax program related to technologies, data transmission, and account management. Thus, the American Transportation Research Institute researchers found that replacing the federal fuel tax with a VMT tax could be costly. The tax is levied on 272 million private vehicles, resulting in more than $ 20 billion in revenue a year. That's 300 times the federal fuel tax. The displacement of collection points is the main reason for such high costs. James Burg Trucking Company President and CEO Jim Burg noted that National Vehicle Miles Traveled Tax is a more complex and costly replacement for the federal fuel tax than many expected. It takes years of thoughtful planning and federal leadership for such a system to work for everyone. The report also noted that the equipment at the initial stage would cost $ 13.6 billion per year. Telecommunications costs $ 13 billion, and account administration $ 4.3 billion. In addition to these costs, credit card transactions for electronic payments and equipment shipping costs can reach over $ 1 billion. ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said that politicians are preparing to present a vision for the future of American infrastructure, so this report could not be more critical. According to many experts, the new VMT is part of the future. And according to the report, implementing this system requires sound leadership, stakeholder engagement, and a clear plan to phase out current funding streams.

ATRI Issued a New Report on a National Vehicle Miles Traveled Tax

On March 17, 2021, the American Transportation Research Institute a new report. It deals with the costs of deploying and operating a national vehicle mile traveled

Read more
Stay in touch with the latest news
Subscribe to our newsletter️
We care about your data in our privacy policy