The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has take steps to streamline the process for combining the commercial drivers license (CDL) and medical certificate records for commercial truck and bus drivers operating on the nation’s roads. Effective 1/30/09 states are required to maintain records linking medical certifications with the CDL record into a single electronic record. The new regulation will allow instant electronic access to the CDL holders’ medical certificate by law enforcement official.
The FMCSA has also proposed a rule to establish a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners who would be required to complete training about truck driver medical and physical qualification regulations. Only those medical practitioners who have completed and maintained their certifications would be included in the National Registry and qualified to certify the fitness of interstate truck and bus drivers. The proposal would require the medical examiner to electronically transmit to the FMCSA the name and a numerical identifier for each driver examined. The new regulation and the proposed rule will benefit the motoring public, the truck driver, and the motor carrier. Uniform and consistent standards providing medically fit drivers is a safety concern for all of us traveling our roadways.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
