One part of an FMCSA rule published in April that made changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s medical examination regulations will take effect Dec. 22.
Drivers going in for their DOT physicals after Dec. 22, 2015, will notice a new Medical Examination Report Form, which features more questions about medical history.
Also included in the new rule is a requirement of medical examiners to electronically submit on the National Registry the results of medical exams once a month. Until June 22, 2018, FMCSA says drivers only have to carry the exam certificate for 15 days after the physical for proof of medical certification. After that 15-day period, law enforcement will have the records in a database they can access at roadside.
After June 22, 2018, drivers won’t have to carry medical examiner’s certificates at all because examiners will have to submit exam results by midnight of the day the exam is conducted, and the results will be available to law enforcement immediately.
