Substance abuse professionals report set parts of a driver’s return-to-duty process in the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The return-to-duty process itself is governed by 49 CFR Part 40, Subpart O and has not changed; the Clearinghouse reporting requirements sit on top of it, in § 382.705.
What a SAP must report
A SAP reports two dates, and only these two:
- The date the driver’s initial SAP assessment was completed.
- The date the SAP determined the driver demonstrated successful compliance and is eligible for return-to-duty testing.
Each must be entered by the close of the business day following the assessment or the determination. This is a tighter deadline than the one employers work to — they report violation information by the close of the third business day.
What a SAP does not report
SAPs do not upload any documentation to the Clearinghouse, including the driver’s follow-up testing plan. Follow-up testing plans are not part of a driver’s Clearinghouse record at all — a subsequent employer has to obtain the plan directly from the previous employer.
The negative return-to-duty test result, and the date the driver finished the follow-up testing plan, are reported by the employer (or the designated C/TPA), not by the SAP.
Being designated as a driver’s SAP
A SAP cannot enter anything about a driver until that driver has designated them in the Clearinghouse and the designation has been accepted. In practice that means:
- The SAP must be registered in the Clearinghouse before the driver can find and select them.
- The driver must also be registered, and must contact the SAP and establish a relationship before sending the designation request.
- The driver searches by the exact name the SAP used to register, then sends a request.
- The SAP accepts the request, and only then can enter return-to-duty information.
Once a SAP accepts a designation, the driver cannot designate a different SAP. If a designated SAP genuinely cannot carry out the work, the driver contacts FMCSA.
Correcting an entry
A SAP, or a registered Clearinghouse Assistant acting for them, can amend reported return-to-duty information. Entries are removed one at a time, starting with the most recent.
Registration and identity verification
Clearinghouse accounts are accessed through Login.gov. Since 27 April 2026, people registering for certain Clearinghouse accounts — SAP accounts among them — must also prove their identity through FMCSA’s secure identity verification step before the account can be used.
Order matters. The steps of the return-to-duty process have to be completed, and reported, in sequence for the Clearinghouse to record them properly and for the driver’s status to stay accurate.