Full
Required pre-employment query type
365 days
Maximum gap between annual queries
24 hours
Full query after a limited query hit
3 years
Consent and result retention
In This Guide
Full vs. Limited Queries and the Consent Each Requires
The Clearinghouse offers two query types, and the difference between them is the heart of doing this correctly. Choosing the wrong type, or skipping the consent the type requires, is one of the most common compliance gaps small carriers carry without realizing it.
Full Query
- Releases the actual violation details to the employer
- Requires specific driver consent, given electronically inside the Clearinghouse, before each query
- Driver must be registered in the Clearinghouse to grant that consent
- Required for every pre-employment check (382.701(a))
Limited Query
- Tells the employer only whether information exists — no details
- Uses a general consent obtained outside the Clearinghouse
- That general consent can be written to cover more than one year
- May be used to satisfy the annual requirement (382.701(b))
The simplest way to remember it: a full query opens the file and needs the driver to unlock it electronically each time; a limited query just checks whether the file has anything in it and runs off a consent you keep on paper or in your own system. You always run a full query at hiring. For the yearly check on existing drivers, a limited query is enough — unless it comes back with a hit.
Before You Query: Registration and a Query Plan
You cannot run a query the day you decide you need one. Two things have to be in place first.
Register as an employer (and designate a C/TPA if you use one)
Under 49 CFR 382.711, every employer must register in the Clearinghouse before it can access information. If you use a consortium/third-party administrator to run queries on your behalf, you designate that C/TPA in your registration. Owner-operators must register as an employer and designate a C/TPA, because a single-driver operation cannot run queries on itself.
Purchase a query plan
Before running any query you must buy a query plan sized to your needs. Queries are charged at a flat rate of $1.25 per query. A C/TPA cannot buy the plan for you — the employer, including an owner-operator, must purchase its own plan even when a C/TPA conducts the queries. Confirm the current per-query rate in the Clearinghouse, as FMCSA sets it.
Make sure drivers are registered for full queries
A driver does not have to register to be the subject of a limited query, but a driver must be registered to give the electronic consent a full query requires. Since every pre-employment check is a full query, prospective drivers need to register so they can grant consent. Build the consent step into your hiring workflow so it does not stall the start date.
How to Run a Full Pre-Employment Query
Under 49 CFR 382.701(a), a full pre-employment query must be completed and a result received before a driver performs any safety-sensitive function for the first time. There is no exception. Here is the sequence.
Driver registers and is ready to consent
Confirm the prospective driver has a Clearinghouse account so they can grant electronic consent for the full query.
Request the full query
From your employer (or C/TPA) account, request a full query on the driver. This generates an electronic consent request to the driver.
Driver grants specific consent
The driver approves the specific full-query consent inside the Clearinghouse. A full query cannot proceed without it.
Review the result before dispatch
Read the full result. A not-prohibited result clears the driver. A prohibited result means the driver cannot perform safety-sensitive functions. The result must be in hand before the first dispatch.
File the result
Save the dated query result in the driver qualification file. Retain it for three years.
How to Run the Annual Limited Query
Under 49 CFR 382.701(b), you must query every current CDL driver at least once per year. A limited query satisfies this annual requirement, and because the general consent can cover multiple years, you do not have to chase a new signature every cycle.
Have a general consent on file
Obtain a general consent from the driver outside the Clearinghouse, on paper or in your own electronic system. Write it to cover more than one year if you want it to authorize several annual limited queries.
Run the limited query
From your account, run a limited query on the driver. It returns either not prohibited or an indication that information exists — never the details.
Act on the result
Not prohibited closes the annual requirement for that driver. An indication that information exists triggers the 24-hour full-query rule described below.
File the result and consent
Retain the limited-query result and the general consent for three years.
The 30-day post-query notification
Under 49 CFR 382.701(c), if prohibiting information is entered into a driver’s record during the 30 days immediately after you run a query, FMCSA notifies you. A clean query does not leave you blind to a violation reported a few days later — the system tells you within that 30-day window.
When a Limited Query Returns Information
A limited query never shows you the violation — it only signals that something is there. 49 CFR 382.701(b)(2) tells you exactly what to do next: conduct a full query within 24 hours of the limited query. The full query requires the driver’s specific electronic consent and releases the actual details so you can act.
If you cannot complete the full query within 24 hours, you must remove the driver from all safety-sensitive functions until the full query is completed and confirms the driver is not prohibited. In other words, the 24-hour clock is not optional paperwork — missing it forces the driver off duty.
A limited-query hit is not a violation finding
The limited query indicating information exists does not by itself mean the driver is prohibited — the record could reflect a resolved item. Only the full query reveals the actual status. Run the full query promptly so you act on facts, not the signal.
The Consent Records to Keep
The query is only half the obligation. The consent that authorized it, and the result it produced, both have to be retained — and the type of consent depends on the query type.
| Record | Where Consent Lives | Duration of Consent | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full query consent | Electronic, inside the Clearinghouse | Specific to each query | Clearinghouse retains; keep your result 3 years |
| Limited query general consent | Outside the Clearinghouse (paper or your system) | May cover more than one year | 3 years |
| Full query result | Driver qualification file | n/a | 3 years |
| Limited query result | Driver qualification file | n/a | 3 years |
The general consent for limited queries is the record auditors most often find missing. Carriers run the annual limited query but never document the consent that authorized it, or they let a single-year consent lapse and keep querying. Keep a current general consent on file for every driver you limited-query, and retain it for three years.
Common Query Mistakes
Do this
- Run a full query and receive the result before the first dispatch
- Run a limited query at least once per 365 days for each driver
- Keep a current multi-year general consent for limited queries
- Convert to a full query within 24 hours of any limited-query hit
- File every dated result and consent for three years
Avoid this
- Using a limited query for a pre-employment check
- Dispatching a driver before the full query result is in hand
- Running limited queries with no general consent on file
- Letting the 24-hour full-query window lapse after a hit
- Missing the annual query on a driver and losing track of the date
How FileFlo Tracks Query Currency and Consent
FileFlo is the records and proof layer for your compliance program. It is not the Clearinghouse, a C/TPA, or a drug-testing service — you still run queries inside the Clearinghouse and buy your query plan there. What FileFlo does is organize the query results and consent records so the annual cycle never slips and the proof is ready when an investigator asks.
What FileFlo keeps in order
- Query currency tracking: Track each driver's last query date and surface alerts before the 365-day annual window closes, so no driver's yearly check slips.
- Consent record storage: Store the limited-query general consent and the dated query results in each driver's file — the records auditors most often find missing.
- Full vs. limited at a glance: See which drivers have a full pre-employment query on file and which are due for the annual limited query.
- Audit-ready export: Export every query result and consent for a driver or the whole fleet in minutes when FMCSA asks.
Key Takeaways
- A full query is required pre-employment under 49 CFR 382.701(a) and needs the driver’s specific electronic consent for each query.
- A limited query satisfies the annual requirement and runs off a general consent kept outside the Clearinghouse that can cover multiple years.
- Run the annual query at least once per 365 days for every CDL driver (382.701(b)).
- A limited-query hit triggers a full query within 24 hours; miss it and the driver must come off safety-sensitive functions (382.701(b)(2)).
- Buy a query plan first. Queries are $1.25 each and the employer (including an owner-operator) must purchase its own plan.
- Retain consent and results for three years. The limited-query general consent is the record most often found missing in an audit.
Running a Clearinghouse Query: FAQ
Answers to common questions about full and limited queries, consent, query plans, and the records to keep.
A full query releases the actual drug and alcohol violation information in a driver's Clearinghouse record to the employer and requires the driver to give specific consent electronically within the Clearinghouse before each query. A limited query only tells the employer whether information exists in the driver's record — it returns either not prohibited or an indication that information is present, without releasing the details. A limited query uses a general consent obtained outside the Clearinghouse. Under 49 CFR 382.701, a full query is required for pre-employment; a limited query may be used to satisfy the annual requirement.
Under 49 CFR 382.701(a), an employer must conduct a full pre-employment query and receive a result before allowing a driver to perform any safety-sensitive function for the first time. There is no exception and no grace period — the negative full query result must be in hand before the first dispatch. The full query requires the driver to be registered in the Clearinghouse and to grant specific electronic consent for that query.
Under 49 CFR 382.701(b), an employer must conduct a query at least once per year for every CDL driver it employs. In practice this means at least once within a 365-day period measured from the date of the last query, or another consistent 12-month cycle the employer chooses. A limited query satisfies the annual requirement. If the limited query indicates that prohibiting information exists, the employer must conduct a full query within 24 hours and may not let the driver perform safety-sensitive functions until the full query confirms a not-prohibited status.
For limited queries, you must obtain a general consent from the driver outside the Clearinghouse, and you must retain that consent record for three years. The limited-query general consent can be written to cover more than one year, so a single multi-year consent can authorize several annual limited queries. For full queries, consent is captured electronically inside the Clearinghouse and the system retains it, but you should still keep your query results. Retain query results and the related consent for three years as part of the driver qualification file.
Yes. Before you can run any queries, you must purchase a query plan in the Clearinghouse that fits the number of queries your operation needs. Queries are charged at a flat rate of $1.25 per query. A C/TPA cannot purchase a query plan on an employer's behalf — the employer (including an owner-operator) must buy its own plan, even if a C/TPA then conducts the queries. Pricing is set by FMCSA and is subject to change, so confirm the current rate in the Clearinghouse before budgeting.
A limited query never releases violation details — it only signals that information exists. When that happens, 49 CFR 382.701(b)(2) requires the employer to conduct a full query within 24 hours of the limited query. If the employer does not complete the full query within 24 hours, it must remove the driver from all safety-sensitive functions until the full query is completed and confirms the driver is not prohibited. The full query then reveals the actual violation so the employer can act on it.
Yes. Under 49 CFR 382.701(c), if prohibiting information is entered into a driver's record during the 30-day period immediately following an employer's query, FMCSA will notify that employer. This closes the gap between query dates — a clean query does not leave an employer blind to a violation reported a few days later within that 30-day window.
Never Miss an Annual Query Again
FileFlo tracks each driver’s last query date, alerts you before the 365-day window closes, and keeps the consent records and dated results an audit asks for. FileFlo is the records and proof layer — you run queries in the Clearinghouse, and FileFlo keeps the evidence in order.
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