FMCSA Grants Limited Exemptions for Expired CDLs, Medical Card

Good news if you had to sideline a driver because of an expired CDL or med card while your Department of Motor Vehicles was shut down: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a formal notice that it will not take enforcement action for certain expired commercial driver licenses, learner permits, and medical certifications through June 30th. The key specifics for whom this enforcement exemption applies to are CLP or CDL holders who had a valid license or med card on February 29, 2020. 

The official language from the FMCSA on who is exempt is as follows:

• A CLP or CDL holder operating a CMV with an expired license, but only if the CLP or CDL was valid on Feb. 29, 2020, and expired on or after March 1, 2020.
• A motor carrier that allows a CLP or CDL driver to operate a CMV during a period in which the driver does not have a current CLP or CDL, but only if the CLP or CDL was valid on Feb. 29, 2020, and expired on or after March 1, 2020.
• A CMV driver (i.e., CLP, CDL, or non-CDL license holder) or motor carrier that allows a CMV driver to operate a CMV during a period in which the driver’s operator license has expired, but only if the driver’s license was valid on Feb. 29, 2020, and expired on or after March 1, 2020, and the driver is otherwise qualified to drive under federal regulation 391.11.
• A CMV driver or motor carrier that allows a CMV driver to operate a CMV during a period in which the driver does not have the current medical certificate, but only if the driver has evidence of a medical certification that was valid on Feb. 29, 2020, and expired on or after March 1, 2020.

For more details, please see the Transport Topics article that includes a copy of the official notice:

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/fmcsa-grants-limited-exemptions-expired-cdls-medical-cards