Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration April 20, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces proposed recommendations from the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) and the Medical Review Board (MRB) on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and the medical certification of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The MCSAC and the MRB are FMCSA advisory committees and operate in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). At the Agency's request, the committees deliberated and provided their finalized recommendations to FMCSA on February 6, 2012. The Agency proposes to adopt the recommendations as regulatory guidance after reviewing and evaluating comments received from the public.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 11 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater than the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 29 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater than the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

FMCSA establishes a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (National Registry) with requirements that all medical examiners who conduct physical examinations for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers meet the following criteria: Complete certain training concerning FMCSA's physical qualification standards, pass a test to verify an understanding of those standards, and maintain and demonstrate competence through periodic training and testing. Following establishment of the National Registry and a transition period, FMCSA will require that motor carriers and drivers use only those medical examiners on the Agency's National Registry and will only accept as valid medical examiner's certificates issued by medical examiners listed on the National Registry. FMCSA is developing the National Registry program to improve highway safety and driver health by requiring that medical examiners be trained and certified so they can determine effectively whether a CMV driver's medical fitness for duty meets FMCSA's standards.