The New DOT Medical Exam Form for CMV Drivers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is now requiring medical providers to use an updated version of the Medical Examination Report Form. The compliance deadline was September 7, 2021.

The changes to the form were part of a more significant release of corrections to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) issued on July 7, 2021. Among the minor technical changes to the medical form was the removal of driver gender identification.

The new form retained the 11/30/2021 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) expiration date, an indication that the document will be revised again later this year.

OMB EXPIRATION

Current OMB approval is due to expire on November 30th for both the medical long form and certificate. The expiration date in the upper corner indicates when FMCSA will lose its authority from the OMB to require the use of the form. Typically, that authority must be renewed every few years, which results in a new, mandatory version of both forms.

DRIVER MEDICAL EXAM CERTIFICATE

Medical examiners must provide a copy of a driver's medical exam certificate to a driver's prospective or current motor carrier employers who request it. It is NOT mandatory, however, that medical examiners provide a copy of the long medical exam forms. This long form, MCSA-5875, must remain on file in the examiner's office but isn't required by the FMCSRs to be in a carrier's files.

OCCASIONAL DRIVERS AND THE MED CARD

All persons who drive a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) ‑ including occasional drivers ‑ must be medically certified and be able to prove it. This includes supervisors, mechanics, or anyone else who drives a CMV on a public road. Drivers can verify their certification with a Medical Examiner's Certificate carried on their person. In addition, drivers holding a commercial driver's license (CDL) or commercial learner's permit (CLP) should have a certified status noted in their current driving record, indicating that they are medically certified. There is no grace period for renewing a medical certificate. It will expire on the expiration date noted on the certificate.

NATIONAL REGISTRY

Motor carriers and drivers may only use medical examiners listed in the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The National Registry is an online registry of medical examiners who've completed the specified training and exams necessary to become certified to perform medical exams on commercial drivers. The National Registry is available online.

The carrier must validate that the medical examiner who conducts the exam is listed on the National Registry. A note must be added in the driver's file to document that the carrier performed the verification.

MVRS FOR CDL DRIVERS

A carrier may use a copy of a CDL driver's new medical certificate as proof of qualification for up to 15 days after the certificate was issued. Within those 15 days, the carrier must obtain an updated motor vehicle record (MVR) showing the new medical certification information.

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