Registration overload floods Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse
Story by: John Gallagher, Washington Correspondent @ FreightWaves.com
The Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse is off to a dismal start for drivers and carriers frustrated by delays and error messages as they attempt to register in the system, according to sources contacted by FreightWaves.
The clearinghouse, which the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) opened for background queries Monday, Jan. 6, is expected to close a major loophole that had allowed drivers with drug or alcohol violations to get hired by trucking companies by lying about test failures. All drivers starting new jobs are required to register.
But while registration opened in October, many of those waiting to register Monday or within the last week have experienced significant problems.
“All of our administrative staff have been able to get registered, but we’re having issues with queries because the website keeps timing out,” Marilyn Surber, transportation adviser for trucking compliance consultant Tenstreet, told FreightWaves Monday. “At first it wasn’t letting you log in, but then it wouldn’t allow you to purchase query plans either. The whole system is working intermittently.” Surber emphasized to carrier clients not using her company to anticipate delays “and expect to keep attempting your submissions until the clearinghouse accepts them.”
Bill Hood, chief marketing officer for VLocity Group, said it appeared that a high volume of users may have crashed the system. “The best indicator that we have on what is happening besides not being able to access the sites is the call and chat volume with the FMCSA is 10 to 20 times higher than we have ever experienced,” Hood told clients in an email.
An FMCSA source told FreightWaves that the agency is working to correct connectivity issues with the clearinghouse website.
Read the full story HERE @ freightwaves.com
Source and credits: freightwaves.com /John Gallagher/ iTrucker / Mario Pawlowski