The Clearinghouse applies to anyone who employs a CDL driver, and that includes a one-truck owner-operator who drives for their own company. It is a separate obligation from your USDOT registration and from the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, and it has its own account and its own fees.
The two queries every employer runs
A full query is required before a CDL driver starts working for you. The driver has to give electronic consent inside the Clearinghouse before each full query, so they need their own Clearinghouse account. Every pre-employment query must be a full query.
A limited query is required at least once a year for every CDL driver you employ. It needs the driver’s general consent, which you get outside the Clearinghouse, can be in writing, and can cover several years. FMCSA tracks the annual requirement on a rolling 12-month basis.
What queries cost
FMCSA charges a flat $1.25 per query, limited or full. If you run a limited query and then a full query on the same driver, you are charged once. Employers buy query plans themselves on the Clearinghouse website; one plan covers one company, and a consortium or third-party administrator cannot buy it for you.
Owner-operators
If you employ yourself as a CDL driver, you are both the employer and the driver. You can designate a consortium/third-party administrator (C/TPA) to run your queries; the C/TPA has to be registered in the Clearinghouse before you can select it.
FMCSA’s FAQ notes that an owner-operator who registers in both roles needs a separate Login.gov account for the employer role and the driver role.
Registering and logging in
The Clearinghouse signs users in through Login.gov, and every user needs their own credentials. Drivers also verify their CDL or CLP details before they can see their record and answer consent requests.
Clearinghouse II: CDL downgrades
Since November 18, 2024, a CDL driver in "prohibited" status in the Clearinghouse loses their state commercial driving privilege until they complete the return-to-duty process. States must record the downgrade within 60 days of being notified, and can reinstate the privilege once the driver’s status is back to "not prohibited".
A prohibited driver cannot legally drive a CMV for you, whatever their paper license shows. The query is how you find out.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an FMCSA Clearinghouse query cost?⌄
Do owner-operators have to use the Clearinghouse?⌄
How do I log in to the FMCSA Clearinghouse?⌄
How often do I have to query my drivers?⌄
What happens to a driver in prohibited status?⌄
Related guides
More in Carrier Credentials & Federal Compliance
Official sources
- FMCSA Clearinghouse — Queries and consent requests (FAQ)
- FMCSA — Annual query requirement
- FMCSA — Cost of limited and full queries
- FMCSA Clearinghouse — Query requirements and C/TPAs
- FMCSA Clearinghouse — Before you register
- FMCSA Clearinghouse — Clearinghouse II begins
Agency rules, fees and contacts can change — confirm current requirements with the agency before acting. This guide is general information for truckers, not tax or legal advice.