The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a waiver allowing interstate commercial driver’s license holders, commercial learner’s permit holders, and motor carriers to continue relying on paper copies of medical examiner’s certificates as proof of drivers’ medical certification for up to 15 days after the date the medical examiner’s certificate is issued. The waiver is in effect until October 12, 2025.

The FMCSA recognizes that some drivers may face delays as certified medical examiners and state driver’s licensing agencies transition from the paper-based process to the secure, electronic transmission of driver medical certification information under the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration (NRII) final rule. That rule was supposed to go into effect in all states as of June 23, 2025, but to date not all states are in compliance and some carriers have complained about inaccurate data and untimely submissions. 

According to the FMCSA, these 12 states are not yet in compliance: Alaska, California, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Under the rule, medical examiners are supposed to submit the results of driver medical exams electronically to FMCSA, which then will transmit the information to the state driver’s licensing agency for inclusion in the driver’s record in the CDL information system.

In addition to the waiver, FMCSA has issued a recommendation to certified medical examiners that, in addition to submitting physical qualification examination results electronically, they continue to issue drivers a paper medical examiner’s certificate during this period of transition to the electronic integration system. Drivers in non-complaint states should submit a paper copy of their Medical Examiner’s Certificate, MCSA-5876, to their SDLA.

More information on the waiver and recommended practices is available from the FMCSA website.