FMCSA expects to delay its medical certification rule
Posted April 12, 2018
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is anticipating a delay to a June 22 compliance deadline for a rule affecting medical certification procedures for commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders.
Speaking before the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Spring Workshop in Portland, Oregon, this week, FMCSA Associate Administrator William Quade said more details about a delay to the “Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration” rule will be announced soon.
The delay is related to a hack of the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners website, which has been offline since December.
The rule at issue was published on April 23, 2015, and includes several important changes to the way medical certification information flows from medical examiners to state driver licensing agencies.
Under current rules, each CDL and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holder has to serve as a “middleman” in providing his or her medical certificate to the licensing agency. Under the changes that were supposed to take place starting June 22, 2018, the driver would be removed from that process.
If confirmed, the official delay will be published in the Federal Register at a later date, Quade said.
Once implemented, the rule changes will have no effect on non-CDL drivers. The June 22, 2018, deadline is a part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for driver qualification, in 49 CFR Part 391.
This article was written by Daren Hansen of J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., with contributions from Tom Bray.
J. J. Keller's FMCSA Compliance Manual helps companies operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) comply with DOT regulations.
J. J. Keller's FREE Transportation SafetyClicks™ email newsletter brings quick-read safety and compliance news right to your email box.