What is a C/TPA and do I need one?
+
A Consortium / Third-Party Administrator (C/TPA) is the entity FMCSA recognizes to manage drug and alcohol testing programs on behalf of motor carriers. Owner-operators with their own DOT authority are required to be in a consortium under 49 CFR Part 382. Larger fleets can self-administer, but most use a C/TPA to handle random selections, MRO review, Clearinghouse queries and reporting, and recordkeeping.
What does motor carrier compliance actually cover?
+
At minimum: drug and alcohol testing program (consortium membership for owner-operators, internal pool for larger fleets), driver qualification files per § 391, Clearinghouse pre-employment + annual queries, annual MVR review, DOT physical examinations, hours-of-service recordkeeping, vehicle maintenance files, and the annual filings (UCR, BOC-3, MCS-150). New entrants also have an 18-month Safety Audit window.
How does this hub work — is it one bill or multiple?
+
One company, one portal, one invoice. Membership in our consortium pool is annual ($85 first driver, $25 per additional driver). On-demand services — MVRs, DOT physicals, BOC-3, UCR, supervisor training — are billed at the time of order, on the same account. Ancillary subscriptions (Clearinghouse query plans, DQF management) are billed monthly or annually depending on the plan you pick.
What happens if I'm randomly selected for a DOT audit?
+
We have a New Entrant Audit prep service that mirrors what FMCSA reviews. For an active audit, every record we hold for you — driver qualification files, drug test results, MVRs, training certificates, MCS-150 history — exports to a clean PDF binder you can hand the auditor. Ten years of compliance experience and the records are organized in the order FMCSA expects them.
Do you handle non-DOT corporate drug testing too?
+
Trucking only here. For non-DOT pre-employment screening — school districts, healthcare, SMB hiring — we operate a separate brand at verticalid.com. Same operations team, different product set (5/9/10/14-panel non-DOT panels, bundled criminal + MVR + verification packages, no consortium structure).
How fast can a new motor carrier get fully compliant?
+
Same day. Online enrollment takes ~6 minutes, the random pool admits you on completion, and your Certificate of Enrollment is issued immediately. Pre-employment drug test and MVR can be ordered within the hour. BOC-3 files within 2 business hours. The longest single-item turnaround is the DOT physical exam, which depends on clinic availability — usually 24-72 hours.
