FMCSA Publishes Final Rule on National Online Registry for Medical Examiners
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced a new safety rule that requires healthcare professionals who perform medical examinations for interstate truck and bus drivers to be trained, tested and certified on the specific physical qualifications that affect a driver's ability to safely operate the vehicle. The final rule also creates a national online database of medical examiners that have completed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) certification process.
"Safety is our top priority and requires cooperation from everyone involved, including our medical examiners," said Secretary Ray LaHood. "This new rule will ensure that healthcare professionals conducting exams keep in mind all of the demands required to operate large trucks and passenger buses safely."
The rule addresses four National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations on comprehensive training for medical examiners and tracking of driver medical certificates.
In 30 days, FMCSA will post its uniform training and testing standards for medical examiners at http://nrcme.fmcsa.dot.gov/. At that time, health care professionals, drivers, employers, law enforcement officers and the public can review the training standards and sign up to receive updates on the implementation of the rule.
By June 2014, all certified medical examiners must be on the National Registry database, and drivers must obtain a medical examination from a certified examiner. Medical examiners who fail to maintain federal standards will be removed from the registry.
To allow time for testing and training centers to prepare their curricula and receive FMCSA approval, healthcare professionals seeking to become certified examiners can begin registering on the National Registry website this summer.
"Truck and bus drivers deserve highly-trained medical examiners that think safety first," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "By holding medical examiners accountable to high standards of practice, we raise the bar for safety and save lives through increased commercial driver and vehicle safety."
Click here to learn more.
Click here for the final rule .
