Despite the legislation, commercial drivers will be required to carry their medical certificates ( or entire USDOT physical exam copy) for another year, until Jan 31, 2015.
Alabama, California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York have failed to have systems in place to show the medical information of drivers on their motor vehicle reports. In order to avoid arresting drivers who have completed their CDL/Medical Card filings from being arrested because the paperwork of these states will not show the driver compliance, the FMCSA has extended the state deadline for these states by a year.
If the computer does not reveal the self-certification and medical filing of the driver, he will be called upon to show the medical card – or complete physical – to avoid a citation for non-compliance.
In effect, the law has changed for drivers and for those states that met the federal guidelines; it has been extended for those states which could not measure up,…and we will all be affected by this.
