• Due to the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration, CDL and CLP drivers’ medical certificates will be sent to state licensing agencies automatically.

June 23, 2025, the medical certification process changed due to the “Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration” final rule published on April 23, 2015. The biggest change is that commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders licensed in states that have transitioned to the National Registry Phase II (NRII) are not required provide their medical certificates to the state licensing agencies because that information will be transmitted automatically. The following is an overview of the changes related to the integration:

• After an exam, medical examiners(ME) are required to enter exam results in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) by midnight of the next calendar day. This process has been in place and will continue.
• For licensing authorities that have transitioned to NRII, FMCSA must upload these results to the driver’s licensing agency, which then must post the information to the CDL/CLP driver’s motor vehicle record (MVR) within one business day.
• For CDL/CLP drivers, the MVR is the only official proof of medical certification required in the DQ file along with a copy of any medical variance. Based on the regulations in 391.43(g) on and after June 23,2025, drivers and their employers do not need the paper medical card because the 15-day window does not apply. Employers must promptly obtain a new MVR after each new medical exam.
  • WATCHOUT: CDL/CLP drivers should still ask the examiner for a medical card before they leave the exam and have the examiner take a copy of their CDL to aid in resolving transfer errors. The new information could take 2-4 days or more after the date of the exam to reflect on the MVR. If the driver's prior certification expired on the MVR, they should not be driving a CMV, per FMCSA.
• Because the CDL/CLP driver exam results are transmitted through the NRCME in states that have transitioned to NRII, employers are not required to place in the DQ file, proof that the MEs were listed on the National Registry on the date of the exam. For states that have not transitioned to NRII, place the verification note in the DQ file and retain for three years from the date of the document.
• Non-CDL drivers must always carrying their medical cards, and their employers must keep a copy file and verify the National Registry listing of their MEs.
• Examiners must inform drivers when they are deemed medically unqualified, and that this information will be reported to the FMCSA. When the FMCSA receives the report, it will invalidate any medical cards previously issued to the driver and will electronically transmit this report to the CDL/CLP driver’s state licensing agency.