In The News

Some states still not ready for medical certification reporting rule

As the deadline approaches when truckers must verify medical certification with their home state licensing agencies, more states are reporting their plans for accommodating the new requirement.

The Association of American of Motor Vehicle Administrators, or AAMVA for short, is reporting that 41 out of 51, which includes the District of Columbia, have a plan for accepting the newly required documentation.

And time is winding down on the states that haven’t reported a plan. A new regulation goes into effect on Jan. 30 mandating that all interstate CDL holders and applicants provide proof of their medical certification to their home state licensing agency.

The regulation will eventually require by Jan. 30, 2014, that agencies input the proof of certification into the commercial driver’s license information system – dubbed CDLIS by the feds – to give roadside law enforcement access to the certification and CDL electronically.

However, many states were not prepared for the CDLIS reporting requirement so the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration delayed the state’s data entry deadline to 2014.

In the meantime, FMCSA will require that anyone who has a licensing “action,” such as renewal, upgrade, transfer, etc., after Jan. 30 will have to provide proof of medical certification. It’s up to the states to decide if the medical examiners “long form” or the actual medical certificate will be required. Either way, that proof must be presented when conducting CDL-related business at the state licensing agency.

In addition to providing their medical certification, drivers will be asked to self-certify whether they are interstate or intrastate drivers and whether they work in an exempt segment of the industry – such as school bus drivers or fire department personnel.

Each state will enact different timelines and methods for CDL holders to provide medical certification proof and to self-certify those who do not have a licensing action coming up for the next couple of years because all CDL holders must report by Jan. 30, 2014.

CDL holders whose license does not expire until after the 2014 deadline need to be mindful that they will be required to self-certify and provide proof of medical certification before Jan. 30, 2014, regardless.

Failing to follow through with these requirements could result in a downgrade of your license and possible suspension.

AAMVA has a state-by-state breakdown of methods for accepting paperwork, etc.

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