Truck driver wages and hiring are at an all-time high – what you need to know to get your FMCSA Medical Certificate

Trucking companies in the US are facing unprecedented demand that began surging last summer as many states started to ease lockdowns. Transport demand has seen a further boost this spring as bottlenecks at busy ports led to freight backlogs that have not let up since. Analysts expect freight volume to stay strong in 2021 as the economy grows with increased Covid-19 vaccination rates. That means freight pricing will increase as shippers compete for a limited supply of available trucks and carriers boost training, pay and bonus to meet new driver demand.  Transport analyst Jason Seidl wrote in an April 2021 research note “In our view, this is the tightest driver market we have seen in our nearly three decades of being involved in the trucking sector.” Compared to March of 2020, DAT Solutions LLC reports the average cost per mile to hire a big rig rose 41.9% to $2.65 a mile. In that same timeframe, driver employment is down 33,500 jobs since the pandemic hit. Yellow Corp., one of the nation’s biggest trucking companies is holding 24 recruiting events between now and July and currently has 14 driving academies and plans to open more. Knight Swift Transportation Holdings said that wages for certified drivers have jumped 40% or more. Its driving school graduates are on track to earn more than $60,000 in their first year after competing training. Fleets in the US have also ordered 126,500 heavy-duty trucks in the first quarter. ¹ How can you become a driver for one of these new rigs? First you need to pass an FMCSA medical exam.

Finding an FMCSA Certified Medical Examiner

Drivers are required to take a medical exam from a certified medical examiner that is listed on the National Registry. These medical professionals must take a training course and pass a certification exam to be included. Besides physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and chiropractors can be certified. The registry, https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/national-registry-certified-medical-examiners-search, can specify a city and state or zip code and the driver can specify a search radius to find a qualified medical examiner nearby.

 

The medical examiner will fill out form MCSA 5876 after the exam is complete. You will need to fill out MCSA 5875 before your appointment listing all your contact information. You will be asked whether or not you are a CLP/CDL holder and if you have ever been denied for an FMCSA medical certificate or if it had ever been issued for less than two years. These are red flags that will require the ME to investigate more deeply. To start, list any surgeries you have had in the past and any current prescription medications you are taking.  In most states a prospective driver needs a valid medical certificate before obtaining a CDL learner’s permit. The medical exam is usually valid for two years, but it can be a shorter time if the medical examiner feels a driver needs additional monitoring – for high blood pressure, as an example.

 

Driving is a tough job and you need to be in good physical shape. Vision in both eyes should be correctable to 20/40 or better (the third line on the eye chart) and you need to be able to distinguish the colors of signal lights. There is a nation-wide database of drug enforcement actions against commercial drivers and you need a clean driving record. Also required is a urine test screening for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP and amphetamines. The regulatory requirement is found in 49 CFR Section 40.85.1. The tests are very accurate, and part of the sample is retained for re-testing that can be requested by the driver within 72 hours after a positive result. The combination of immunoassay screening confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (CG/MS) makes the possibility of error extremely remote along with detailed test protocols and stringent quality control checks required by certified test centers.

 

Physical Handicaps and the Skills Performance Evaluation

Physical handicaps are not necessarily disqualifying if you can show that you can operate a commercial vehicle safely. There is a process to obtain a waiver called an SPE -Skills Performance Evaluation, that allows drivers to operate commercial vehicles with missing or impaired limbs across state lines or engaged is interstate commerce.  If you have been fitted with (and are wearing) appropriate prosthetics and can demonstrate that you can operate the vehicle safely in on-road and off-road maneuvers, you can obtain an SPE certificate after completing the driving test. Over time, the FMCSA has issued over 3,000 SPE certificates. Intrastate drivers are not within FMCSA jurisdiction will be subject to local and state regulations.

Other Test Requirements

Some other common requirements include a hearing test, and no clinical diagnosis of alcoholism or a mental health disorder. Additionally, there can be no clinical diagnosis of diabetes treated with insulin unless that person meets the standards of §391.46. If you are receiving treatment, and have a stable insulin regimen, you need to provide records from your treating clinician that should summarize insulin dosage requirements and 3 months of electronically recorded glucose self-monitoring records that record the date and time. If you experience a severe hypoglycemic episode, you become disqualified until your doctor can attest that you are again stable and completes a new MCSA 5870 form. The medical certification could be limited to three months if you don’t have three months of electronic glucose monitoring and after completion of that monitoring period, the medical certificate would have to be re-evaluated at 1-year intervals.

There should be no current clinical diagnosis of heart disease, or respiratory dysfunction that would interfere with the ability to control and drive a commercial motor vehicle safely. The driver must have no clinical diagnosis of high blood pressure that would interfere with his or her ability to operate a CMV safely and no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of rheumatic, arthritic, orthopedic, muscular, neuromuscular or vascular disease which interferes with safe vehicle operation. The FMCSA has published advisory criteria for Medical Examiners that helps them interpret these rules and issue judgements that drivers are able to meet the physical requirements for commercial driving. If a Medical Examiner has questions about medical history, they will need to consult with your treating clinician when making their evaluations. The Federal Vision Exemption Program and requests for hearing and seizure exemptions require specific information to be submitted to the Agency for review. This information may include not only medical exams, but also employment history, driving experience and motor vehicle records which must be submitted with the application. The FMCSA will respond to requests within 180 days of submission.

Since procedure like coronary artery bypass surgery and implanted pacemakers are remedial, they are not disqualifying after appropriate recovery time. Similarly, blood thinners and blood pressure medications are allowed as long as the ME finds that that appropriate dosages have been shown to be working well. Blood pressure monitoring annually will probably be required. It is suggested before a driver is certified that he or she have a normal resting and stress electrocardiogram, no residual complications, and no physical limitations, and is taking no medication likely to interfere with safe driving.

 

Foreign Drivers

Generally, the FMCSA also accepts Medical Certifications from Canada and Mexico if they meet US requirements. The Mexican Licencia Federal is issued for a period of 10 years but must be re-validated every 2 years and requires an updated physical exam. The certificate is stamped every two years to remain valid.

 

Driver Qualification Files

To complete the hiring process the carrier must have copies of the following documents:

1.     The driver’s application for employment.

2.     A copy of the DMV record received from each State.

3.     Certificate of the driver’s road test.

4.     The motor vehicle record received from each State driver licensing agency to the annual driver record inquiry required by §391.25. Violations of traffic laws, size and weight limitations, criminal laws and motor vehicle accidents will be considered as well as any other factor that shows a driver’s lack of due regard for the public safety.

5.     A note relating to the annual review if the driver’s driving record.

6.     A list or certificate relating to violations of motor vehicle laws and ordinances required by §391.27.

7.     The medical examiners certificate or a legible copy of the certificate.

A driver should carry the medical certificate with them for the first 15 days after it is issued. After that, compliance officers can do electronic verifications. Your new employer will keep the DQ file updated during the time that you work there and for 3 years after you leave.

If you have any questions about the FMCSA regulations mentioned here, check their website at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations.

Another good reference is the eCFR. The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) is a currently updated version of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). It is not an official legal edition of the CFR but is an editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments produced by the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Publishing Office. The OFR updates the material in the e-CFR every day.  The current update status appears at the top of all e-CFR web pages. See https://ecfr.federalregister.gov.

1.     The Wall Street Journal “Trucking Companies Boost Pay in Hunt for Drivers as Demand Surges” Jennifer Smith, April 19, 2021