Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Oct. 10, 2025:
- With continued hiccups in FMCSA's move to an electronic med cert process, drivers get more time to use paper certificates as proof of certification.
- New York CDL testing scheme busted: who's charged and what they were alleged to have done.
- Trucker Path's driver appreciation sweepstakes winner nets $10K worth in prizes.
FMCSA extends waiver allowing paper med cards
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has re-issued a temporary waiver allowing truck drivers and fleets to continue relying on a paper copy of the medical examiner’s certificate as proof of a driver’s medical certification for up to 60 days after the date the certificate is issued.
The reissued waiver is effective Oct. 13, 2025, through Jan. 10, 2026. The waiver can be viewed in full here. The current waiver is set to expire at the end of the day Oct. 12.
FMCSA first issued the waiver in July, which allowed commercial drivers to continue to rely on the paper medical examiner’s certificate for up to 15 days after the certificate was issued. In August, the waiver was modified to allow CDL holders, CLP holders, and motor carriers to rely on paper for up to 60 days after the date of certificate issuance.
The waivers followed FMCSA’s implementation of its National Registry II (NRII) final rule, which required states to implement an electronic process for medical certification -- with examiners transmitting exam results to FMCSA via the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and FMCSA transmitting the results to state driver’s licensing agencies to post to the driver’s motor vehicle record (MVR).
As of Oct. 10, there are still 12 states that have not implemented NRII.
“This action further supports drivers and carriers as State Driver’s Licensing Agencies and certified medical examiners continue to transition to the secure electronic transmission of medical certification data required under the National Registry II (NRII) final rule,” the agency said in reissuing the waiver.
FMCSA determined that reissuing the waiver into next year is in the public interest to prevent undue hardship on drivers with valid medical certification and their employers due to potential processing delays outside of their control during this transition period.
FMCSA also recommends that certified medical examiners continue issuing paper medical examiner’s certificates (Form MCSA-5876) to drivers, in addition to submitting examination results electronically, until further notice.
[Related: FMCSA gives drivers, carriers leeway on new electronic med cert rule]
Three New York DMV employees among 7 charged in CDL testing scheme
Three New York State Department of Motor Vehicles employees are among seven people charged for allegedly engaging in a scheme to cheat on CDL exams and process permits for “no-show” applicants. The charges were announced by Nassau County (New York) District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly and New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang
Former DMV Supervisor Kanaisha Middleton, 33; motor vehicle representative Tawanna Whitfield, 36; motor vehicle representative Satoya Mitchell, 35; and Kanaisha Middleton’s sister, Jamie Middleton, 35, were arraigned on indictment charges of:
- Impairing the Integrity of a Government Licensing Examination (a Class D felony)
- Corrupting the Government in the Fourth Degree (Class E felony)
- Tampering with Public Records in the First Degree (Class D felony)
- Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree (Class E felony)
- Falsifying Business Records in the Second Degree (Class A misdemeanor)
Additionally, CDL permit applicants James Nurse, 42; Omesh Mohan, 42; and Rene Sarduy, 44, were also charged in the indictment with Tampering with Public Records in the First Degree and Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.
If convicted, all the defendants face a maximum sentence of 2 years and 4 months to 7 years in prison.
“This scheme was an unbelievable organized breach of public trust and the trust of millions of drivers using Long Island’s roads,” District Attorney Donnelly said. “A ring of DMV employees who, working together, allegedly manipulated the commercial driver’s license exam process, allowing no-show applicants to cheat the system and skip their tests -- giving them CDL permits that they did not earn and were not qualified to hold.”
Donnelly added that at least one applicant, who was a Sanitation Department employee for the town of Hempstead, “was issued a full CDL license which he used to operate recycling trucks in our neighborhoods.”
According to the indictment and investigation, the allegations were first reported to the New York State Inspector General’s Office from a supervisor in the Garden City branch of the DMV who alleged that employees were processing CDL permit applications without applicants sitting for the required tests at the DMV location.
According to the investigation and surveillance video obtained from DMV, on six separate dates between March 2023 and September 2023, Jamie Middleton, sister of DMV supervisor Kanaisha Middleton, allegedly approached DMV employees dressed in various disguises and purported to be different CDL and class D permit applicants seeking to take the exams. She was allegedly dressed in baggy clothing, facemasks, construction jackets and fake facial hair when she approached DMV employees to gain access to the testing room.
On each of the dates, Jamie Middleton was allegedly given access to the testing room by motor vehicle representatives Whitfield and Mitchell, despite Jamie Middleton’s appearance not matching the identification and DMV records for the applicants for whom she was posing.
On May 23, 2023, Jamie Middleton allegedly took exams for two applicants -- Sarduy and Mohan -- less than five minutes apart and wearing the exact same clothing. Mohan and Sarduy allegedly both went to different DMV locations in Springfield Gardens and Bethpage in the following days to provide their paperwork and obtain their interim permits.
The DMV requires that each CDL interim permit holder also pass a specified CDL road test in order to obtain their CDL license. Both Mohan and Sarduy were never issued full licenses and the investigation determined that Mohan in fact failed the CDL road test.
Jamie Middleton allegedly took nine CDL exams in this period and passed the test eight times for seven applicants. Six of those applicants were never issued full CDL licenses.
Nurse received an interim permit on Aug. 16, 2023, at the Massapequa branch of the DMV after Jamie Middleton allegedly took his exam two days before in Garden City. Nurse was issued a full CDL license on Sept. 28, 2023, and the DA’s investigation revealed that the defendant later used his illegally obtained CDL license to drive recycling trucks for the Sanitation Department.
Prime Inc. leased owner-op wins Trucker Path’s driver appreciation contest
David Whaley, a truck driver based out of Citra, Florida, was selected this week as the winner of Trucker Path’s fourth annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Sweepstakes.
Whaley received his CDL in 2021 through Prime Inc. and has worked for them as a leased owner-operator ever since.
David Whaley was selected as the winner of Trucker Path's National Truck Driver Appreciation Sweepstakes.Trucker Path
“I’ve never come close to winning anything like this,” Whaley said. “I just can’t believe it. I’m so appreciative.”
This year’s NTDAS prize package included:
- Sheetz -- $3,000 gift card and a $500 merchandise bundle
- Double Coin Tires -- $4,000 American Express gift card
- Exxon Mobil -- $500 gift card
- Red Roof Inn -- 25 $100 vouchers for stays
- Rokform -- $500 gift card
- Trucker Path -- 1 year of SiriusXM service ($275 value)
- Wyndham Hotels (La Quinta) -- 10 certificates worth 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points each ($1,950 value)
“Supporting the nation’s truck drivers by recognizing their hard work and dedication is part of our mission at Trucker Path and for all NTDAS sponsors,” said Chris Oliver, CMO at Trucker Path. “The National Truck Driver Appreciation Sweepstakes is our way of thanking them for their continuing contributions with prizes that provide comfort and convenience on the road. We are pleased to present this program for the fourth year in a row.”
