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As mandated by Congress, the Secretary of Transportation was required to establish a Medical Review Board (MRB) to provide the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with medical advice and recommendations on medical standards and guidelines for the physical qualifications of operators of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), medical examiner education, and medical research.
Scope
Review and education of medical examiners fall under the authority of the Medical Review Board.
Regulatory citations
- None
Key definitions
- None
Summary of requirements
The MRB is appointed by the Secretary and consists of five members selected from medical institutions and private practice. The membership must reflect expertise in a variety of medical specialties relevant to the driver fitness requirements of the FMCSA. The Secretary also was instructed under law to appoint a chief medical examiner who will be an employee of FMCSA.
The Secretary, with the advice of the MRB and the chief medical examiner, will establish, review, and revise:
- Medical standards for operators of CMVs that will ensure that the physical condition of operators of CMVs is adequate to enable them to operate the vehicles safely; and
- Requirements for periodic physical examinations of such operators performed by medical examiners who have, at a minimum, self-certified that they have completed training in physical and medical examination standards and are listed on a national registry maintained by the Department of Transportation.
- Conduct periodic reviews of a select number of medical examiners on the national registry to ensure that proper examinations of such operators are being conducted;
- Develop, as appropriate, specific courses and materials for medical examiners listed in the national registry established under the law, and require those medical examiners to, at a minimum, self-certify that they have completed specific training, including refresher courses, to be listed in the registry;
- Require medical examiners to transmit the name of the applicant and numerical identifier, as determined by the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, for any completed medical examination report required under 391.43, electronically to the chief medical examiner on monthly basis; and
- Periodically review a representative sample of the medical examination reports associated with the name and numerical identifiers of applicants transmitted as required above for errors, omissions, or other indications of improper certification.