Beginning June 23, 2025, changes are coming to the way motor carriers are required to verify that CDL drivers are medically certified. After this date, the driver’s CDLIS MVR will become the only accepted source of truth for medical certification information for CDL drivers; med cards can no longer be used as proof of medical certification (nothing changes for non-CDL drivers). While the change seems simple enough, the devil, as always, is in the details. And if these details are ignored, it could turn into a significant headache for motor carriers.

This is the end state of a long-labored process to electronically integrate medical examiners with FMCSA and the State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLA). Upon completing the medical exam, Medical Examiners will electronically transmit the results to FMCSA, which will then be sent to the driver’s SDLA to be posted on the CDLIS MVR.

With this in mind, below are a few issues of which motor carriers should be aware:

1. If the driver needs a medical variance to be certified, the ME will not transmit the med card until the variance has been received;
2. If the MEC is not successfully transmitted, a CDL downgrade is likely. The state will follow its normal protocol in downgrading the license;
3. ME’s will receive a single notification if the transmission fails. Hopefully, they will act on it. Motor carriers must order an MVR to confirm successful transmission;
4. FMCSA has provided the following guidance for motor carriers with drivers for whom medical certification status does not update on their MVR post-exam:

“As a motor carrier, it is your responsibility to ensure that a commercial motor vehicle driver does not operate in interstate commerce unless they have been issued a Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Form MCSA-5876, by a medical examiner [listed] on the National Registry. Therefore, if you have a driver whose medical certification information has not been transmitted to the State Driver’s Licensing Agency and whose current Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Form MCSA-5876, has expired, you should not allow them to operate in interstate commerce.”

As part of this integration, driver’s license information must be validated against a central database, similar to how FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse operates. As many have experienced, this could cause some headaches. To help mitigate these, FMCSA has provided some tips to assist motor carriers maintain compliance.

Drivers should work to ensure the information recorded and transmitted by the Medical Examiner is EXACTLY how it appears on the CDL/CLP. FMCSA has offered a few tips for drivers to help avoid problems and/or mitigate their potential impacts:

1. Ask the ME to take and retain a photocopy of the CDL. This could help them verify information in the event of a data mismatch;
2. If the ME transmits the MEC immediately following the exam, the driver could request to review the information to verify it is correct before it is transmitted (some ME’s will transmit in a batch at the end of the day so, this may not be possible);
3. Ask the ME what the best way is to work with them if there’s a problem;
4. Ask to be issued a paper med card. While it may not constitute proof of medical certification, it MAY be helpful if there’s a problem, depending on state protocol;
5. Ask the SDLA’s to “pull” information from the registry. In the event of an error preventing transmission from FMCSA to the SDLA, the certification information will be stored at the National Registry. Some states will be able to “pull” this information to update the record; and
6. Contact FMCSA’s tech support at fmcsatechsup@dot.gov or 617.494.3003.

State Integration Progress

Unfortunately, as of May 23, 2025, only 21 States have fully integrated to date – a long way from 50. While FMCSA officials have assured us that the remaining states are nearing completion of the integration, not all of them may be complete by the deadline.

In States that haven’t integrated by the deadline, drivers/carriers must still present the med card to the SDLA to get it posted to their MVR. In these cases, carriers should verify the medical examiner is listed on the registry, as they do today. They should also obtain an MVR to confirm the record has been updated.

Here’s a link to the website that lists the states that are currently integrated. The website also has motor carrier and driver-focused fact sheets, brochures, and FAQs. We recommend that carriers monitor this site for additional information and guidance. In our conversations with FMCSA, they have indicated that they plan to issue additional guidance before the implementation date, particularly as it relates to states that will not be integrated by June 23.