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How to Designate a C/TPA in the FMCSA Clearinghouse

A C/TPA (consortium/third-party administrator) can run Clearinghouse queries and report violations for your company. But it can only do that after you designate it inside your own Clearinghouse account. This guide walks through who has to do it, how it works, and what to check when you are done.

Updated September 28, 2026 · Checked against the federal regulations

Who has to designate a C/TPA

Most employers may choose to use a C/TPA. It is optional for a fleet with more than one driver.

Owner-operators are different. If you run under your own USDOT number and you drive for yourself, the rules say you must designate a C/TPA. The C/TPA reports any drug and alcohol violations you have. You cannot report on yourself.

The Clearinghouse will not let an owner-operator take any action until a C/TPA is designated. So do this early.

Fleet with several drivers: designating a C/TPA is optional.
Owner-operator under your own USDOT number: designating a C/TPA is required (49 CFR 382.705(b)(6)).
Driver who runs under another carrier's USDOT number: you register as a driver, not an employer, so you do not designate a C/TPA.

Before you start

Talk to the C/TPA first. FMCSA says not to designate a C/TPA without reaching out to them. The C/TPA must also be registered in the Clearinghouse already, or you will not be able to find and select it.

You also need your own employer account in the Clearinghouse. Registration uses a Login.gov account and an identity check (you scan your driver's license or passport and take a selfie). If you have a USDOT number, FMCSA says to use your FMCSA Portal account to register.

Confirm the C/TPA has agreed to serve you and is registered in the Clearinghouse.
Have your Login.gov account ready.
Have your FMCSA Portal login and USDOT number ready (if you have one).

Step by step: designating your C/TPA

The exact screens can change, and FMCSA posts a "How to Designate Your C/TPA" job aid in the Clearinghouse Learning Center. The basic flow is below.

1. Register your company in the Clearinghouse as an employer. During registration you will say whether you are an owner-operator.
2. When asked if you need to designate a C/TPA, answer yes (owner-operators must).
3. Search for and select your C/TPA. It must already be registered.
4. Choose what the C/TPA may do for you: conduct queries, report violations, and report return-to-duty (RTD) information.
5. Submit the designation. The C/TPA gets a designation request in its own account.
6. Ask the C/TPA to confirm it has accepted the request. It cannot query or report for you until it is designated.

What to check after you designate

Look at your C/TPA list in your Clearinghouse account and make sure the C/TPA shows as designated, not still waiting.

Check the permissions. If you want the C/TPA to handle everything, it needs all three: conduct queries, report violations, and report RTD information.

Buy a query plan. A C/TPA cannot buy one for you. Any query the C/TPA runs comes out of your company's query balance.

C/TPA shows as designated on your account.
Conduct queries: on.
Report violations: on.
Report RTD information: on.
Your company has a query plan with queries left.

Changing or removing a C/TPA

If you switch C/TPAs or stop using one, update your Clearinghouse account within 10 days. This is a rule in 49 CFR 382.711(b)(3).

Using a C/TPA does not move the legal duty off a fleet. The employer is still responsible for compliance. The one exception is an owner-operator's own violations, which the designated C/TPA must report.

Pact Compliance can serve as your designated C/TPA if you want help.

Common questions

Do I have to use a C/TPA for the Clearinghouse?

Fleets with more than one driver may choose to. Owner-operators who employ themselves must designate a C/TPA, because the C/TPA has to report the owner-operator's own violations.

Can I designate a C/TPA that is not registered in the Clearinghouse?

No. FMCSA says the C/TPA must be registered in the Clearinghouse before an employer can select it.

Can my C/TPA buy my query plan?

No. Only the registered employer can buy a query plan. Queries the C/TPA runs for you come out of your balance.

How fast do I need to update the Clearinghouse if I change C/TPAs?

Within 10 days of the change, under 49 CFR 382.711(b)(3).

Does my random-testing consortium count as my designated C/TPA?

Not by itself. FMCSA says having a C/TPA do your random selections does not meet the requirement to designate a C/TPA in the Clearinghouse. You still have to designate one inside your account.

Can a C/TPA register my company for me?

FMCSA says there is no rule that the employer must personally do the registration. But each user needs their own Login.gov login, and the employer is still responsible for compliance.

Sources

Want this handled for you? Pact Compliance runs the random pool, Clearinghouse queries and driver records for small fleets, online, with a one-minute video for every setup step. Start free · Watch how it works · 901-517-7450