DOT Clearinghouse Compliance Help in Austin

Intrastate does not mean exempt

Our carrier directory lists about 3,900 carrier records with an Austin address, including about 2,950 listed as intrastate-only. FMCSA’s Part 382 drug and alcohol testing requirements cover drivers subject to CDL requirements who operate covered CMVs on public roads in intrastate as well as interstate commerce.

That matters to construction fleets, material suppliers and other local operations. A CDL driver operating a covered dump truck or tractor only within Texas may still be subject to the same Part 382 testing and Clearinghouse requirements as a driver crossing a state line.

About 920 Austin records are private carriers. Whether a company hauls for customers or moves its own materials does not by itself determine Clearinghouse applicability. The key question is whether the driver and work are covered by Part 382.

Passenger and new carriers

Around 140 Austin records list passenger vehicles. Passenger operations with drivers subject to FMCSA Part 382 must meet the applicable Clearinghouse requirements. Drivers performing only FTA-regulated safety-sensitive functions under Part 655 are treated separately, so passenger operators should establish which DOT testing rules apply.

About 840 Austin records first registered with FMCSA in 2025 or later. Before a covered CDL driver is hired to perform safety-sensitive functions, the employer must conduct a full pre-employment query and receive the driver’s specific electronic consent through the Clearinghouse.

An owner-operator who employs himself or herself as a CDL driver must also comply with the Clearinghouse requirements that apply to employers and drivers and must designate a C/TPA for the required reporting functions.

The yearly routine

• Conduct at least one Clearinghouse query for every covered CDL driver within each 12-month period.
• A limited query can satisfy the annual requirement with general consent obtained outside the Clearinghouse. If the result shows that information exists, follow the Clearinghouse process for the required full query.
• Maintain a Clearinghouse query plan or designate a C/TPA to conduct queries on your behalf.
• Report the employer-reportable violations and return-to-duty information required by Part 382.
• Keep each driver’s limited-query consent for three years. The Clearinghouse itself maintains the query history.

A driver in prohibited status cannot perform safety-sensitive functions until the applicable return-to-duty requirements have been completed and the required negative return-to-duty test has been obtained. See SAP evaluations in Texas and the DOT SAP program nationwide.

Ask a provider whether they can act as your designated C/TPA, who tracks annual query dates, which reports they submit for you and what remains your responsibility. If you also need testing support, ask whether Clearinghouse administration can be coordinated with drug testing consortium enrollment in Texas.

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