FMCSA seeking comments on Part II of the National Registry of Medical Examiners

May 17, 2013
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced on May 10 a proposed rule to allow state and federal enforcement officials to easily share and view the most current and accurate information about a commercial motor vehicle driver's medical certification status. The agency is asking for industry comments on the proposal

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced on May 10 a proposed rule to allow state and federal enforcement officials to easily share and view the most current and accurate information about a commercial motor vehicle driver's medical certification status. The agency is asking for industry comments on the proposal.

The proposal would require certified medical examiners performing physical examinations on drivers of commercial motor vehicles to use a newly developed medical examination report form [http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/safetyprograms/Medical-Report.pdf], and to use a new form for the medical examiner's certificate (MEC).

In addition, certified medical examiners would be required to electronically report to FMCSA the results of all completed commercial drivers' physical examinations, including the results of any examination where the driver was found not to be qualified, by close of business on the day of the examination using the new form. FMCSA would make the MEC information for interstate commercial driver's license (CDL) holders available to the state driver licensing agencies only as part of the integration of the medical certification and the CDL issuance and renewal process.

This proposal is a follow-on rule to the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners rule published on April 20, 2012 and the medical certification requirements as part of the CDL rule published on Dec. 1, 2008. Comments on the proposed rule are due by July 9, 2013. For more information, visit http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov.