Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Oct. 13, 2025:
FMCSA extends waiver allowing paper med cards
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has re-issued a temporary waiver allowing truck drivers and fleets to continue relying on a paper copy of the medical examiner’s certificate as proof of a driver’s medical certification for up to 60 days after the date the certificate is issued.
The reissued waiver is effective Oct. 13, 2025, through Jan. 10, 2026. The waiver can be viewed in full here. The current waiver is set to expire at the end of the day Oct. 12.
FMCSA first issued the waiver in July, which allowed commercial drivers to continue to rely on the paper medical examiner’s certificate for up to 15 days after the certificate was issued. In August, the waiver was modified to allow CDL holders, CLP holders, and motor carriers to rely on paper for up to 60 days after the date of certificate issuance.
The waivers followed FMCSA’s implementation of its National Registry II (NRII) final rule, which required states to implement an electronic process for medical certification -- with examiners transmitting exam results to FMCSA via the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and FMCSA transmitting the results to state driver’s licensing agencies to post to the driver’s motor vehicle record (MVR).
As of Oct. 10, there are still 12 states that have not implemented NRII.
“This action further supports drivers and carriers as State Driver’s Licensing Agencies and certified medical examiners continue to transition to the secure electronic transmission of medical certification data required under the National Registry II (NRII) final rule,” the agency said in reissuing the waiver.
FMCSA determined that reissuing the waiver into next year is in the public interest to prevent undue hardship on drivers with valid medical certification and their employers due to potential processing delays outside of their control during this transition period.
FMCSA also recommends that certified medical examiners continue issuing paper medical examiner’s certificates (Form MCSA-5876) to drivers, in addition to submitting examination results electronically, until further notice.
[Related: FMCSA gives drivers, carriers leeway on new electronic med cert rule]
TCA accepting Fleet Safety Award applications
The Truckload Carriers Associations has opened the application period for its annual Fleet Safety Award program.
The Fleet Safety Awards recognize fleets with superior safety records and exceptional company safety cultures, TCA noted.
The annual competition is open to all TCA carrier members, with first-, second-, and third-place honors across six mileage-based divisions. Division winners will be invited to compete for the Grand Prize in both Large and Small Carrier groups.
Applications can be submitted online here through Nov. 3.
Winners of the award will be honored at TCA’s 2026 Annual Convention in Orlando from February 28 to March 3.
