The federal government hopes to process drivers’ medical examination information more quickly.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is updating the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.
FMCSA implemented the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration (NRII) rule on June 23. The rule modernizes driver medical certification by implementing a new electronic transmission process to replace paper documents.
“This new digitalized system will make life easier for lawful truck drivers and harder for bad actors who want to commit fraud,” Duffy said. “It will also enhance safety on our roads and ensure law enforcement has access to the real-time data they need to do their jobs. America First means safety first.”
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A significant aspect of the NRII rule is the requirement for medical examiners to electronically submit examination results to FMCSA's National Registry by midnight (local time) of the next calendar day following the examination. Previously, examination results could be sent by paper within 30 days.
About the NRII rule
Initially published in 2015, the NRII rule requires certified medical examiners to use specific forms to document physical qualification examinations and issue medical certificates to qualified commercial motor vehicle drivers.
As of June 23, FMCSA said that 37 states were fully compliant with the new rule, and the remaining states are expected to meet all requirements in the coming months.
According to the agency, key improvements under NRII include the following:
- Electronic transmission of driver medical certification information uploaded by certified medical examiners into FMCSA’s National Registry and from the National Registry to SDLAs for posting on motor vehicle records;
- Elimination of paper records;
- Real-time access to medical certification status for roadside inspectors and law enforcement;
- Increased accountability, as only certified medical examiners can report the results of physical qualification exams through the National Registry system.
“By integrating electronic medical certification records directly into state-managed systems, NRII helps ensure only qualified drivers are on our roads while giving our state and enforcement partners the real-time information needed to do their jobs more effectively,” Jesse Elison, FMCSA chief counsel, said.
