FMCSA may soon remove certified medical examiners (CME) from the National Registry

Posted May 25, 2023

In July 2022, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that five-year refresher training was available. CMEs who were due or overdue for the five-year refresher had until December 31, 2022, to complete the training. Although FMCSA has not yet removed any CMEs from the National Registry for Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) for failure to meet the extended five-year periodic training deadline, removals will start on June 9, 2023.

Interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers must be medically certified by a CME active on the NRCME on the exam date.

How does this affect drivers and carriers?

To avoid drivers being medically disqualified due to the CME not being on the NRCME on the exam date, drivers, or their carriers, must check the Registry site (FMCSA National Registry (dot.gov)) before booking an appointment. If a particular CME is inactive on the NRCME, they must choose another active CME for the exam.

There have been issues with CMEs incorrectly not showing up in the NRCME. The following email and phone number are available to confirm a CMEs status if there are any concerns:

• National Registry Technical Support Help Desk at fmctechsup@dot.gov, or
• Call (617) 494-3003.

Removal warnings

FMCSA will issue warnings to CMEs via the email noted in the CME’s Registry account. The notice will state that the CME:

• Is overdue for five-year refresher training, and
• Must complete training by June 9, 2023, or FMCSA will initiate removal action.

If removal action is taken, FMCSA will send another notice. Medical examiners subject to a removal action cannot request reinstatement for 30 days and must correct the issue for FMCSA to consider reinstatement.

This article was written by Mark Schedler of J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.