On July 14, 2025, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a temporary waiver allowing interstate commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders, commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders, and motor carriers to continue relying on a paper copy of the medical examiner’s certificate as proof of medical certification for up to 15 days after the certificate was issued. The agency modified this waiver on August 21, 2025, to allow CDL holders, CLP holders, and motor carriers to rely on the paper copy of the medical examiner’s certificate as proof of the driver’s medical certification for up to 60 days after the date the medical examiner’s certificate was issued.
The full contents of the waiver modification can be found here.
This action supports drivers and carriers as State Driver’s Licensing Agencies and certified medical examiners continue to transition to the secure electronic transmission of medical certification data required under the National Registry II (NRII) final rule.
FMCSA determined that modifying the initial waiver is in the public interest to prevent undue hardship on drivers with valid medical certification and their employers due to potential processing delays outside of their control during this transition period.
FMCSA also recommends that certified medical examiners continue issuing paper medical examiner’s certificates (Form MCSA-5876) to drivers, in addition to submitting examination results electronically, until further notice.
For more information and resources related to NRII, visit the FMCSA NRII Learning Center.
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Original article published by FMCSA