Foley Services, formally known as Foley Carrier Services, is a compliance company that helps trucking fleets, carriers, and other employers manage Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) as a Consortium/Third-Party Administrator (C/TPA), Foley handles drug testing programs, driver qualification files, background screening, and audit preparation so that fleet managers don’t have to navigate those requirements alone.
Who Foley Services Works With
Foley’s core clients are U.S. carriers, fleet managers, and employers of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders. These businesses operate under strict federal safety rules enforced by the FMCSA, and falling out of compliance can mean fines, out-of-service orders, or losing operating authority entirely. Foley acts as a middleman between fleets and the regulatory system, keeping records current and managing the testing and reporting that federal law requires.
The company also serves non-DOT employers, particularly businesses whose employees drive company vehicles even though they aren’t regulated by the DOT. For these employers, Foley offers pre-hire screening and drug testing to reduce liability and ensure driver safety.
DOT Drug Testing and Clearinghouse Reporting
Drug and alcohol testing is one of the most heavily regulated parts of running a trucking operation. Federal rules under Part 382 require employers to conduct pre-employment drug tests, random tests, post-accident tests, reasonable suspicion tests, and return-to-duty tests for drivers who previously tested positive or violated program rules.
Foley manages this entire process. That includes maintaining a random testing pool (where drivers are selected at unpredictable intervals throughout the year), coordinating specimen collection, and routing results through a Medical Review Officer (MRO) for verification. When a test comes back positive, adulterated, or substituted, the MRO must report the result to the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse within two business days. Employers, in turn, must report violations to the Clearinghouse by the close of the third business day after learning about them. Foley handles these reporting obligations on behalf of its clients, keeping everything audit-ready.
The Clearinghouse is a federal database that tracks drug and alcohol violations across the industry, preventing a driver who tested positive at one company from quietly getting hired at another. Employers are required to query it before hiring a driver and annually for current employees. Missing these queries is a common compliance gap that Foley helps prevent.
Driver Qualification Files
Every carrier is required to maintain a driver qualification (DQ) file for each CDL driver. These files must contain specific documents: a completed employment application, motor vehicle records, a medical examiner’s certificate, road test results or equivalent documentation, and annual driving record reviews, among other items. If an FMCSA auditor shows up and a file is incomplete, the carrier faces violations that can affect its safety rating.
Foley builds and maintains these files electronically, tracking expiration dates and flagging missing documents before they become a problem during an audit. For fleet managers juggling dozens or hundreds of drivers, outsourcing DQ file management removes a significant administrative burden.
Background Checks and Pre-Employment Screening
Beyond DOT-specific compliance, Foley offers a broader suite of background screening tools useful for hiring in any industry:
- Criminal history checks to identify past convictions relevant to the role.
- Education and employment verifications to confirm that candidates actually hold the credentials and experience they claim.
- Motor vehicle record (MVR) checks to review a candidate’s driving history, including accidents, suspensions, and moving violations.
- Social media screening that uses AI to scan public social media activity while staying within EEOC, FCRA, and state privacy guidelines.
- Pre-employment drug testing for both DOT-regulated and non-regulated employers who maintain drug-free workplace policies.
- Occupational health services including DOT physicals and other required medical exams.
MVR monitoring is a particularly valuable feature for fleets. Rather than pulling a driver’s record once at hiring and never checking again, continuous MVR monitoring alerts employers when a driver receives a new violation, suspension, or license change. This helps carriers catch risks between annual reviews.
CSA Scores and Audit Defense
The FMCSA uses a system called Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) to evaluate carriers. Your CSA score is built from roadside inspection results, crash data, and investigation findings. High scores in certain categories (unsafe driving, hours-of-service compliance, vehicle maintenance, controlled substances) can trigger FMCSA interventions ranging from warning letters to full compliance reviews.
Foley offers CSA score management, which involves monitoring your carrier’s scores, identifying which violations are driving them up, and helping you challenge inaccurate data through the federal DataQs process. If you do face an FMCSA audit or compliance review, Foley provides audit defense support, helping you organize records and demonstrate that your safety programs meet federal standards.
ELD Compliance and Hours of Service
Electronic logging devices (ELDs) are required for most commercial motor vehicle drivers to automatically record driving time and ensure compliance with hours-of-service (HOS) rules. HOS regulations cap how many hours a driver can operate before taking mandatory rest breaks, and violations are a frequent source of CSA score problems. Foley helps carriers select compliant ELD solutions and manage the data those devices produce, making sure records are properly stored and accessible if regulators request them.
How Foley Fits Into Fleet Operations
Running a trucking company means complying with layers of federal regulation that carry real consequences for mistakes. A single missing drug test record, an expired medical certificate, or an unreported Clearinghouse violation can result in fines or put a driver out of service. For small carriers without a dedicated compliance department, a company like Foley essentially serves as that department. For larger fleets, it supplements internal staff by handling the most documentation-heavy parts of the compliance process.
Foley’s role as a registered C/TPA means it has been recognized by the FMCSA as an entity authorized to administer drug and alcohol testing programs on behalf of employers. This is not just a vendor relationship; it carries specific regulatory responsibilities and reporting obligations that Foley assumes so the carrier doesn’t have to manage them directly.