Help with the RTD Process

Figuring out the Return to Duty process with the FMCSA Clearinghouse, can be a daunting task. We've put together a few videos to help make this process much clearer!

In this overview we'll describe the overall process and the roles of each party as it relates to the driver, the company, the TPA and the Clearinghouse.

How to Setup a Company Account inside the Clearinghouse
Only do this if you do not already have a company account setup.

This is the process for the TPA to report RTD test results in the Clearinghouse. You'll notice that the first step is selecting a company. That is why the step above is so important.

Step by step on how to enroll in our program and obtain RTD testing.

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Explaining the Return to Duty (RTD) Process....

If you're a CDL truck driver who has either failed a drug test, or refused to be tested for any reason, your FMCSA Clearinghouse account will be marked "prohibited". To clear this prohibited status, you'll need the services of a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), a negative RTD drug test, and a company to report this negative test to the Clearinghouse.

But what happens if the company you work for fires you after they find out about the positive test? Fortunately there are steps you can take to clear this prohibited status from your Clearinghouse account, and get back to driving truck again.

Step 1 - You'll need to find a SAP. This is something you can easily do online, and most substance abuse professionals offer online courses and meetings to complete this step of the process from almost anywhere in the country. It's simply a matter of finding one you like, someone who is well reviewed and cost effective. A quick online search is a great place to start. Once you complete this step, your SAP will report your progress to the Clearinghouse and your driver profile will now say "eligible for RTD testing".

Step 2 - Now that you're eligible to obtain the Return to Duty drug test, your employer can send you for testing. But what if you are no longer employed or you're an owner operator? This is when a consortium or third party administrator (C/TPA) can help you obtain the drug test and report the result to the Clearinghouse. The TPA will set you up with a RTD drug test order, once that negative result comes back, they can report it to the Clearinghouse and have the prohibited status removed. So if you were driving for a company and they fired you after a positive test, you can use a TPA to act as your company and clear your prohibited status in the Clearinghouse. But there's one more step that needs to be done for the C/TPA to report this in the Clearinghouse.

Step 3 - You'll need a "Company Account" in the Clearinghouse before the TPA can report the negative drug test. Since a Third Party Administrator only acts on behalf of your "Company", they must submit this information to the Clearinghouse using that "Company's" name. I put the word company in quotations to avoid confusion here, so let me explain further. When reporting a negative RTD drug test in the Clearinghouse, the first step is to select the Company you are reporting this for. But what if you no longer work for a company? You're basically an owner operator at this point, so you'll need to create a company account in the Clearinghouse. This something anyone can do, they do not need a DOT number or MC or Authority. The 2nd video in the series above shows how easy it is to create a company account in the Clearinghouse. With your company Clearinghouse account and the service of a Consortium (TPA) to report this information on your behalf, you're all set!

Let's summarize. You're listed as prohibited in the Clearinghouse due to a positive (or refusal to take a) drug test. If the company you're driving for doesn't fire you, they will be responsible for sending you to a SAP (per their drug and alcohol policy), then sending you for the RTD drug test and reporting it to the Clearinghouse under their company account (a TPA may or may not be doing this for them in the background, but that doesn't matter, its all getting done for you). If the company you were driving for does fire you for the positive test, you are now on your own with a prohibited Clearinghouse status, and the odds of another company picking you up as "prohibited" are very small. So you need to obtain the services of a SAP first, and get cleared by them. You'll then obtain the services of a consortium / third party administrator to act on your behalf in the Clearinghouse. Since you're now eligible for RTD testing (once you complete the SAP program and they report that to the Clearinghouse), you'll obtain the RTD test via the services of the TPA. If you're using QCS as your consortium, you'll simply click "Order Drug Test" and select RTD as the reason for testing, and we'll do the rest. While you're waiting for those test results to come back, you'll setup your own company account in the Clearinghouse and link that to the TPA so they can report the negative return to duty drug test and move you out of Step 5 and onto Step 6 in the Clearinghouse.