How often am I required to pull an MVR on my CDL drivers?

Employers and Medical Review Officers (MROs) are both required to report drug and alcohol program violations in the Clearinghouse per § 382.705. Employers can hire a consortium/third-party administrator (C/TPA) in the Clearinghouse, such as DISA, to assist with meeting these reporting requirements; however, the employer retains ultimate responsibility for compliance. According to the Clearinghouse, employers are responsible for reporting the following:

•    An alcohol confirmation test with a concentration of 0.04 or higher

•    Refusal to test (alcohol) as specified in 49 CFR § 40.261

•    Refusal to test (drug) not requiring a determination by the MRO as specified in 49 CFR § 40.191

•    Actual knowledge of a drug or alcohol violation, as defined in 49 CFR § 382.107

MROs are responsible for reporting the following:

•    Verified positive, adulterated, or substituted drug test result

•    Refusal to test (drug) requiring a determination by the MRO as specified in 49 CFR § 40.191

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration holds motor carriers and drivers responsible for meeting safety standards and regulations. Carriers can find their data stored on FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS), which they use to track the number, severity, and date of safety violations, as well as crash and inspection data. Data is derived from unsafe driving, crash indicator, Hours of Service (HOS) compliance, vehicle maintenance, controlled substances/alcohol, hazardous materials compliance, and driver fitness. The FMCSA makes available a compliance manual to help companies operating CMVs comply. The FMCSA Compliance Manual can be downloaded here.

Under FMCSA regulations, an employer must request a pre-hire MVR in all states where a CDL license was held within the previous 3-year period, and then annually as part of the employee’s annual review process.