Effective June 23, 2025, state driver’s licensing agencies (SDLAs) will no longer accept medical certificates from commercial drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and SDLAs are streamlining the medical certification process for drivers who hold commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and permits (CLPs). 

The Process From Start to Finish

Certified medical examiners (CMEs) will input the driver’s medical information into the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME), as they have done since June 2018.

The new process takes it one step further by eliminating the need for:

• Drivers to submit proof of certification to the SDLA, and 

• States to manually enter specific data elements onto a driver’s motor vehicle record (MVR). 

Instead, FMCSA will transmit data originating from the NRCME to SDLAs. Specifically, FMCSA will send CME information, examination results, expiration date, restrictions, and information on medical variances. The medical status should appear on the MVR within a few days.

Motor carriers then request a copy of the MVR to retain in the driver’s qualification (DQ) file, as they have done for several years.

Impacts to Fleet Recordkeeping

The automation will result in two noteworthy changes to recordkeeping. 

CMEs are no longer required to provide CDL and CLP holders with a copy of their medical examiner’s certificate (MEC). If drivers and their carriers want a copy as temporary proof of medical certification, they must request a copy from the CME. In the past, drivers and carriers used a copy of the MEC as proof of certification until the information appeared on the MVR. 

For drivers who renew their medical certification close to expiration, it’s advisable that they ask for an MEC to show their carrier and enforcement. It will also ease the carrier’s mind that the driver passed!

The other significant change is that motor carriers no longer need to verify the CME’s status on the NRCME and generate a note. The data on the MVR originates from the site, so there’s no need to check the CME.    

Why are Procedures Changing?

FMCSA published a rulemaking in 2015 that connects the SDLAs directly to NRCME. This transmission simplifies the process and accounts for every medical examination, including those where the CME medically disqualifies the driver.

The original implementation date was June 22, 2018; however, it was pushed back to 2021 and then 2025 to accommodate technology development for transmitting and receiving information from the NRCME to the SDLAs. The current implementation date requires all SDLAs to be connected to NRCME no later than June 23, 2025. 

Does This Rule Impact Non-CDL Fleet Drivers?

No, SDLAs don’t track the medical status of regular driver’s licenses or even non-CDL commercial motor vehicle (CMV) classes (e.g., chauffeur). As a result, the current process will not change for those who hold these licenses. However, if a driver has a CDL or CLP that they wish to maintain independently of their current position, the information will be transmitted by FMCSA to the SDLA.

A non-CDL driver will continue to receive a copy of the MEC, and the motor carrier must retain a copy in the driver’s qualification file. The motor carrier must verify that the CME is on the NRCME and create a note to that effect. 

Have Medical Certification Requirements Changed?

Drivers who operate CMVs are still required to be medically certified through an examination by a CME. The medical examination and its standards remain the same. 

Only the sharing of data has changed. The only means of communicating CDL/CLP holders’ examination results to the SDLA is through FMCSA’s data transmission.