Queries that never get forgotten.

Two queries, two very different jobs

The Clearinghouse query obligation splits into two things that carriers often blur together.

The pre-employment query is a full query, run before you hire any CDL driver. It requires the driver's electronic consent given inside the Clearinghouse itself, and it returns the detailed violation record. No consent, no query — and no query means you cannot lawfully put that driver to work.

The annual query covers every CDL driver you currently employ, at least once in every 12 months. It may be a limited query, which requires written consent that you obtain and retain. A limited query does not return details — it tells you only whether information exists in the driver's record.

Full vs limited, side by side

Why annual queries slip

Because nothing prompts you. There is no letter, no reminder and no visible consequence until an investigator asks for your query records and you discover half the fleet has not been checked in 18 months. It is one of the most common findings we see — and one of the easiest to eliminate permanently.

We hold the query calendar per driver, chase consents before they are needed rather than after, run the queries, and file each result against the driver record where an auditor can find it.

Query plans, and running out at the wrong moment

Queries are purchased in advance in bundles. There is no grace period — if the balance is empty, you cannot run a query, and hiring stops. We monitor the balance against your actual hiring pattern and tell you before it becomes a problem.

The three-year records request is separate

A Clearinghouse query does not replace the requirement to obtain the applicant's DOT drug and alcohol testing history from previous employers covering the last three years. The Clearinghouse covers violations recorded since it began; the previous-employer request covers what came before and what may not have been reported. Both are required. We handle both — see pre-employment testing.