DOT Employment Verification Protects Your Business by Ensuring Your Commercial Drivers Are Qualified
To meet DOT requirements, ECS will conduct a DOT Employment inquiry via mail, fax, telephone, or email. We will provide the past employer with a signed release from the applicant and document all attempts made to contact previous employers. This ensures that we show good faith in obtaining the required information according to DOT regulations.
Average Turn-Around Time
Previous employers have up to 30 days to respond from the date of inquiry made by ECS
What Is Included in DOT Employment Verification?
Our DOT Employment Verification service gathers detailed information about an applicant's employment history and driving record over the past three years. To comply with DOT regulations, a DOT Employment Verification must contact all of the applicant’s employers from the past three years. These employers are asked all of the required questions outlined by the FMCSA in DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 391.
Additionally, employers must inform applicants that they have the right to review the information their former employers provide, allowing them to dispute any information they believe to be inaccurate.
DOT Employment Verification Process
To meet DOT requirements, ECS will conduct a DOT Employment inquiry via mail, fax, telephone, or email. We will provide the past employer with a signed release from the applicant and document all attempts made to contact previous employers. This ensures that we show good faith in obtaining the required information according to DOT regulations.
In addition to verifying general employment details, such as job titles and dates of employment, the DOT Employment Verification checks the following driving-specific information:
Whether the individual has had an alcohol test result of 0.04% or greater, or a positive drug test
Whether the driver has been involved in any accidents on the job
Whether the individual has ever refused an alcohol or drug test
Whether the individual has failed or completed a rehabilitation program as prescribed by a substance abuse professional
FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
The FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse requires employers to conduct background investigations before hiring CDL drivers. The FMCSA background check helps verify if the driver has violated any drug and alcohol regulations within the past three years.
As of January 6, 2023, the Clearinghouse stores three years of violation data. This means that prospective employers must conduct a pre-employment query of the Clearinghouse to comply with the FMCSA inquiry requirements.
The Clearinghouse only contains data for drivers employed by FMCSA-regulated employers. If an applicant worked for a DOT-regulated employer outside of FMCSA (such as the Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, etc.) during the past three years, the employer must request drug and alcohol violation information directly from those employers.
Employers must also conduct a yearly query in the Clearinghouse for each CDL driver they employ. This annual query is required on a rolling 12-month basis. Employers need general consent from CDL drivers to conduct limited queries in the Clearinghouse to view their information.