Bituminous Insurance Companies
Release Date: December 31, 2009
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released guidance on the use of the federal Medical Certificate for intrastate drivers. While Medical Examiners, who examine intrastate divers, may use the FMCSA's Medical Examination Report form, they may not use the federal Medical Certificate for an intrastate driver - that constitutes an improper use of the federal Medical Certificate. The FMCSA's Medical Certificate is labeled FMCSA and clearly states that the driver is qualified to drive in Interstate Commerce in accordance with federal regulations. Once a driver receives the FMCSA Medical Certificate, he/she is free to drive across state lines in interstate commerce. Also, a Medical Examiner's notation on the Medical Certificate, "the driver is qualified if he holds a state waiver" is not sufficient. That language does not indicate which state has granted the waiver and may be easily missed by a roadside inspector.
However, there is an exception. States may use the FMCSA Medical Certificate if they modify it clearly to say, in BOLD letters, that it is "For Intrastate Use Only" and list the State from which it was issued.
According to the FMCSA, this problem will be minimized once the Medical CDL rule is fully implemented in 2012. At that time, all states will be in compliance and the Medical Certificate will be part of the Commercial Diver Licensing (CDL) process. In time, the Medical Certificate will be an electronic document.
While this will eventually be a solution for drivers required to have a CDL license, the FMCSA did not address the situation where intrastate drivers are required to possess a Medical Certificate, but are not required to have a CDL.
COPYRIGHT ©2009, ISO Services Properties, Inc.
The information contained in this publication was obtained from sources believed to be reliable. ISO Services Properties, Inc., its companies and employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with either the information herein contained or the safety suggestions herein made. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety procedure is contained herein or that abnormal or unusual circumstances may not warrant or require further or additional procedure.