Commercial Driver License (CDL) and DOT Physical Merging
According to Part §391 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) beginning January 30, 2012 through January 30, 2014, drives can expect to be asked for a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate (physical card) when renewing a CDL.
After January 30, 2014 a Medical Examiner’s Certificate may only be used for 15 days – while waiting to receive your updated CDL.
According to Part §383.73, the State may suspend, cancel revoke the CDL if a current DOT physical is not on file. This is not a “disqualification” but a “withdrawal” of the commercial driving privileges.
If a CDL has been declared invalid because of a lapse in the driver’s physical, they may not drive a commercial motor vehicle.
New Regulation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners
Medical Examiners (Doctors) are now required to go through special training regarding the FMCSA physical (DOT Physical) qualification standards. They will be required to pass a test to show their understanding of the standards and they will be required to take ongoing, periodic training and testing.
Effective on May 21, 2014, motor carriers and drivers MUST use medical examiners listed in the Medical Registry when obtaining a physical that satisfied the Department of Transportation Physical Examination requirements. To see the website go to: nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov.
Unfortunately for some drivers, this is going to mean considerable time and travel distance for some companies and/or drivers.
When a physical exam is complete, the employer (you) must verify that the medical examiner is listed on the registry. This is done by checking on the FMCSA’s National Registry website. The verification must be documented and kept in the Driver Qualification File.
If you have any influence with a local physician, you may want to ask if they would consider becoming qualified to be listed in the Medical Registry. If you find anyone interested, give them the Website listed above.
Currently, Office Tenders, Inc. is looking into how we might be able to accommodate our clients with assistance for this requirement. No decisions have been made at this time.
Please address the efceft this will have on the driver. It is a fact that their pay will go down if they do not run as many miles since most drivers are paid by the miles they run. Pay is one of the things that drives many driver to run over their hours. They have families to feed and bills to pay. I see a lot of drivers changing jobs because they did not get enough miles . This will keep CSA scores down, but it will cost both the driver and the carrier. Can we afford It?