Are student drivers required to register to the CDL Clearinghouse?
FMCSA updated the CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse registration process to clarify how student drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or commercial learner’s permit (CLP) should register.
The student driver registration process depends on their employment status.
Student drivers who are employed by a motor carrier must “Register as a Driver” while student drivers in training programs that are not affiliated with or operated by motor carriers must “Register as a Student Driver”.
There is one major difference in the registration process with these two options. Student drivers who are enrolled in training programs that are not affiliated with or operated by motor carriers must designate a consortium/third-party administrator (C/TPA) to fulfill their drug and alcohol testing requirements.
A C/TPA is a service agent that performs tasks to help keep an employer or a student driver compliant with the USDOT/FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Testing rules and regulations.
Student drivers should contact CNS Consortium before designating us in the Clearinghouse to act on their behalf. We will help you through this whole registration process.
How can a student driver register?
If you are a student driver who is also an employee of a motor carrier, you must register as a driver.
Download step-by-step registration instructions below:
The instructions below are for a student driver who holds either a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or commercial learner’s permit (CLP) and is enrolled in a training program that is not affiliated with or operated by a motor carrier.
Once you have a login.gov account (download guide above), you can complete your registration in the Clearinghouse.
If you are a student driver in a training program that is not affiliated with or operated by a motor carrier, you must select the option to register as a student driver. This enables you to register with both the driver and employer roles and designate a consortium/third-party administrator (C/TPA).
As a student driver enrolled in an independent training program, you must designate a consortium/ third-party administrator (C/TPA). This allows your C/TPA to access the Clearinghouse on your behalf.
A C/TPA is a service agent that performs tasks to help keep an employer or a student driver compliant with the USDOT/FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Testing rules and regulations. You should contact a C/TPA prior to designating them in the Clearinghouse.
If you are using Compliance Navigation Specialists (CNS) consortium, type “Compliance” or “Compliance Navigation Specialists” in the field labeled Who is your C/TPA? and click on the search icon, or hit Enter. If you enter enough characters of the C/TPA’s name, a list of options will also appear.
You have the option to select three activities your C/TPA can do on your behalf. We recommend selecting all three boxes (report violations, report RTD information, and conduct queries). You can still do each of these activities yourself, but this just allows us to do it on your behalf.
Finish the last few items and your Clearinghouse registration is complete. You will be directed to your Dashboard, a logged-in home page for your Clearinghouse activity.
Do you have questions about our CDL training packages?
Give us a call at 717-496-9145 or email us at support@cnstrains.com.
