FMCSA Medical Certification Changes Coming in June 2025

It’s been a decade in the making. The June deadline is fast approaching for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s rule change regarding how drivers’ medical examiner certificates (MECs) are submitted. 

This update, known as the Medical Examiner's Certification Integration final rule, affects CDL drivers, safety directors, compliance specialists and fleet managers alike. It also impacts holders of commercial learner's permits (CLPs). Understanding the nuances of this new regulation is critical to avoiding compliance issues and keeping your fleet running smoothly.

Q: What’s changing?

A: Currently, drivers submit their DOT Med Cards to their State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLAs) themselves. 

Under the new process, starting June 23, 2025:

• Medical examiners will electronically transmit drivers’ medical examination results and additional information to the FMCSA via the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. 
• The FMCSA will submit the results to the SDLAs to be posted on the driver’s motor vehicle record (MVR) in the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS), effectively making MVRs the authoritative source of medical card information for CDL drivers. 
• Carriers will no longer be required to verify that CDL/CLP drivers were certified by a certified medical examiner listed on the National Registry.
• CDL drivers will no longer be required to submit med cards to their state.
• Non-CDL drivers who require MECs will still be required to file their med card with the state and supply them to their employers.

Q: Why is this happening?

A: The FMCSA issued the Medical Examiner's Certification Integration final rule in April 2015 as a follow-on rule to the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The government says the purpose is to streamline the process and improve safety on the roads.

The agency extended the compliance date multiple times: first until 2018, then 2021 and finally to June 23, 2025. 

Q: Is this really going into effect?

A: Good question. The delays were designed to provide FMCSA and the states enough time to upgrade their IT systems. There is no indication that there will be another extension, but it remains to be seen. 

The FMCSA’s NRII Learning Center, designed to help carriers comply with the requirements of the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration (NRII), lacks many details. 

At least 15 states have implemented the integration, according to the NRII Learning Center.

Q: So what should we do?

A: Although the change is designed to simplify submissions and shift the burden away from drivers and carriers, it’s important to stay on top of the issue as the new rule rolls out and make your drivers aware of the changes. Being out of compliance could have serious consequences.

At this time, the Avatar clients we’ve spoken to aren’t making any process changes yet. Carriers we’ve heard from plan to continue to instruct drivers to request a copy of their MECs at the time of their exam and submit it to the company’s compliance specialist, triggering the carrier to run an MVR. 

However you decide to handle the rule change, be clear with your drivers and compliance teams about any changes to your internal processes. Make sure everyone’s on the same page, so you remain compliant and don’t waste time and money running MVRs at the wrong time.

Q: How is Avatar helping?

A: Avatar is helping customers be compliant amid regulation changes by offering the ability to add automated compliance rules in DriverHub related to the new FMCSA med card rule.

You can add compliance rules that: 

• Use the MVR for med card information for CDL drivers.
• Show the medical card and verification record for non-CDL drivers.

In both cases, workflows remain the same and you’ll still have access to the AvatarAssistant’s AI Med Card Scanner so you can continue to automatically verify records that way until the states you operate in have proven they update their systems in a timely manner.

To learn more about how Avatar automates tasks so you can prioritize people, book a demo today. If you’re an Avatar customer who’d like assistance setting up compliance rules, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Customer Success Manager.