Final rule addresses licenses, certification for CMV drivers

Jan 26, 2009

A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration final rule will require states to merge commercial driver's licenses and drivers' medical examination certification into a single electronic record.

Terms for the combined CDL electronic record system are outlined in the Dec. 1 Federal Register. FMCSA also issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (.pdf file) on a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners as part of an effort to create certification standards.

The rulings follow criticism from the National Transportation Safety Board – most recently in its 2008 Most Wanted list of safety improvements – on the progress of recommendations regarding commercial motor vehicle driver health. A handful of reports released last year found a high percentage of CMV drivers were allowed on the road despite a history of health problems.