FMCSA Clearinghouse Setup Guide

Takes about 15 minutes · You'll need your USDOT number and an email address

Step 1 — Create a login.gov account

The Clearinghouse uses login.gov (the U.S. government's shared sign-in) for access.

1. Go to clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov and click Register.
2. You'll be sent to login.gov — choose Create an account. Use your business email, set a password, and add a phone number for the security code. Keep these credentials somewhere safe.
3. After confirming your email and phone, you'll be returned to the Clearinghouse to finish registration.

Step 2 — Register as an employer

1. When the Clearinghouse asks for your role, choose Employer. (If you're an owner-operator driving your own truck, choose Employer here too — you'll identify as an owner-operator during registration.)
2. Enter your USDOT number — the Clearinghouse will pull up your company record; confirm it's yours.
3. Fill in your contact details and accept the terms.

Step 3 — Designate DOT Drivers as your C/TPA

This connects your Clearinghouse account to our consortium so we can manage testing requirements on your behalf (and report for you, if you're an owner-operator — that part is required by law).

1. During registration (or later under My Dashboard → C/TPAs), choose the option to designate a C/TPA.
2. Search for DOT Drivers and send the designation request.
3. We'll accept the request on our end — you'll see the status change to accepted in your portal.
4. Owner-operators: when prompted, authorize your C/TPA to report violations and negative return-to-duty information on your behalf. This is mandatory for owner-operators.

Can't find us in the C/TPA search, or not sure which listing to pick? Email us before guessing — designating the wrong C/TPA is a pain to undo.

Step 4 — Buy a query plan

Clearinghouse queries cost $1.25 each, paid to FMCSA (not to us). In your Clearinghouse portal, purchase a query plan — buy roughly one query per driver per year, plus one for each driver you expect to hire. You can always buy more later.

Step 5 — Run your queries

• Before a new driver drives for you: run a pre-employment full query. The driver must have their own Clearinghouse account (registered as a driver at the same site) and give electronic consent there before the query returns results.
• Once a year for every driver: run a limited query. This needs a signed general consent form from the driver, which you keep on file — a one-time form can cover all future annual limited queries.

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