Why is NRCME Necessary

Over the past 20 years (1982-2002), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates there has been a 42% increase in registered large trucks and a 93% increase in miles traveled by large trucks. There are over 7 million registered large trucks, 700,000 commercial buses, 11 million commercial driver’s license holders, and over 600,000 interstate truck and bus companies in the United States. These statistics reflect a significant increase in the presence of large trucks on our Nation’s highways over the last several years.

There is also evidence that improper medical certification has contributed directly to crashes. The National Transportation Safety Board, for example, has documented cases where drivers with serious disqualifying medical conditions were involved in significant fatal and injury crashes. Reports from FMCSA field staff indicate numerous problems on our roads, where drivers who have disqualifying medical conditions are operating commercial motor vehicles. These issues indicate there is a need to improve the medical certification process, and the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners is one strategy for addressing this problem.

Interest in certifying medical examiners to evaluate interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers dates back to at least 1978 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration commissioned a feasibility study on the issue. This study addressed the primary weakness in the overall system – the lack of medical examiner understanding of the relationship of driver health to the task of operating commercial motor vehicles interstate. The study concluded that there were not enough medical examiners to support a certified medical examiner system for all interstate commercial driver examinations.

The idea of having a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners has been raised periodically by the government since that time. In August 2005, Public Law 109-59, The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted. Section 4116 requires, “The Secretary, acting through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – (1) shall establish and maintain a current national registry of medical examiners who are qualified to perform examinations and issue medical certificates; (2) shall remove from the registry the name of any medical examiner that fails to meet or maintain the qualifications established by the Secretary for being listed in the registry or otherwise does not meet the requirements of this section or regulation issued under this section; (3) shall accept as valid only medical certificates issued by persons on the national registry of medical examiners; and (4) may make participation of medical examiners in the national registry voluntary if such a change would enhance the safety of operators of commercial motor vehicles.”