In The News

Better have those medical cards handy

If you’re pulled in for an inspection, you need to be sure to have your valid medical certificate on you. Roadside enforcement is going to call your doctor to make sure it’s legit.

A new enforcement initiative was launched by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration involving medical certification. Roadside enforcement began conducting random verifications of medical examiner certificates in mid-November during routine enforcement activities.

The effort is to confirm that a medical exam was conducted and the information on the medical certification card is accurate. The agency stressed in an alert sent to industry stakeholders that the verification was not being conducted to evaluate a driver’s medical fitness.

Roadside enforcement is directed to contact the medical examiner’s office at the telephone number indicated on the certificate; and explain the purpose of the call. Officers are directed to inform the doctor’s office that the call is intended solely to confirm that the document presented by the driver matches the records maintained by the medical examiner.

Officers will not be required to contact the medical examiner directly. An authorized staff member may provide the requested information.

The only information the medical examiner’s office is required to verify is the driver’s name and date of birth, the date of issuance of the medical certification, any restrictions indicated on the card, and verbal confirmation of the information provided.

The effort is intended to crack down on the use of fraudulent medical certificates.

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