The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a further extension of its temporary exemption allowing interstate 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 a driver’s medical certification for up to 60 days after the date the medical examiner’s certificate is issued. The exemption is in effect from April 11, 2026 – October 11, 2026.

The purpose of the exemption is to ensure that drivers with valid medical certification and their employers are not penalized for delays outside of their control as five remaining states implement the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration final rule (NRII). The non-compliant states are Alaska, California, Kentucky, Louisiana and New Hampshire, but the exemption applies to drivers and carriers in all states.

FMCSA said it does not anticipate granting additional, nationwide NRII waivers or exemptions after the six-month duration of this exemption. But the NRII final rule, which integrates the medical certificate with the driver’s CDL record, was supposed to go into effect in 2015 and has been extended multiple times because many state driver licensing agencies have not been able to make their IT systems comply with the federal requirements.

The agency said it 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.