FMCSA Extends Fed Med Card Deadline

In an interview with the FMCSA on the Dave Nemo show, FMCSA officials announced that the agency is delaying the Federal Medical card certification requirements until January 30, 2015.

What does this mean?  

Drivers who are domiciled in states that did not already use combined licenses and medical certificates will have to hold onto their hard copy of their medical exam for another year.

The extension is supposed to be formally announced in next week’s Federal Register.

From FMCSA:

The FMCSA amends its regulations to keep in effect until January 30, 2015, the requirement that interstate drivers subject to: (1) either the commercial driver’s license (CDL) or the commercial learner’s permit (CLP) regulations: as well as

(2) the Federal physical qualification requirements under 49 CFR part 391, must retain paper copies of their medical examiner’s certificate when operating a commercial motor vehicle. Interstate motor carriers are also required to retain copies of their drivers’ medical certificates in their driver qualification files.

This action is being taken to ensure that the medical qualification of CDL and CLP holders are documented adequately until all State driver licensing agencies (SDLAs) are able to post:

(1) the drivers’ self-certification whether the physical qualifications standards are applicable to them; and

(2) the medical examiner’s certificate information, on the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) driver record. This rule does not, however, extend the compliance dates for the SDLA to collect and to post to the CDLIS driver record the CDL holder’s self-certification about applicable standards and the medical examiner’s certificate.

Medical Certification Deadline Looming