Over four months after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rolled out new guidelines for medical certification of commercial drivers, only 80% of U.S. states are fully compliant with the regulations.
In June, the agency announced it would be implementing new guidelines that would require medical examiners to electronically submit results from physicals to FMCSA and state licensing agencies within 24 hours of the exam.
The new rule also eliminated the need for drivers to carry a paper copy of their medical certification card. The agency said the modernized system “enhances data accuracy, improves enforcement efficiency and significantly reduces the risk of fraud.”
“This new digitalized system will make life easier for lawful truck drivers and harder for bad actors who want to commit fraud,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “It will also enhance safety on our roads and ensure law enforcement has access to the real-time data they need to do their jobs.”
At that time, the agency reported that 37 states were already compliant with the new medical certification requirements, with the remaining states “expected to meet all requirements in the coming months.”
However, as the months rolled on, a dozen states were yet to fully implement the new guidelines.
In mid-July, FMCSA issued a waiver that would allow CDL holders to continue to use paper copies of medical examiner’s certificates as proof of their medical certification for up to 15 days after the date the certificate is issued. The waiver was modified by the agency in August to allow drivers to continue to use the paper copy for up to 60 days after the exam.
In October, with 12 states still non-compliant, the agency extended the waiver for an additional three months. The current waiver is set to expire on Jan. 10, 2026.
Well, you can scratch two names off that list, with Iowa and Wyoming now implementing the new guidelines.
There are still 10 remaining states – Alaska, California, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma and Vermont – that have yet to implement the new regulations.
Drivers in states that have not implemented the new requirements will continue to receive a paper copy of their medical examiner’s certificate, which will then need to be submitted to their state driver’s license agency. LL
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