Under the new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulation all of Massachusetts 180,000 licensed commercial drivers, commercial permit holders and new commercial license applicants will be required to self-certify themselves based upon the “…type of commerce they engage in, interstate or instrastate, and whether or not they are required to obtain a US DOT Medical Certificate.” Under the new law, those drivers who will require a US DOT Medical Certificate will be required to provide a copy to the RMV.
Registrar Rachel Kaprielian spoke about the new changes and how they would be incorporated into the RMV. “A handful of states will begin accepting self-certification at the end of January 2012. Massachusetts, along with over 30 other states, is now updating its processes and should be able to handle the influx of certifications this spring at RMV branches across the Commonwealth and via online transactions.”
The RMV says that these new procedures will ensure that CDL operators are medically sound before operating vehicles thereby increasing road safety. And by requiring better enforcement of the medical qualification and fitness standards of CDL operators and having states retain those US DOT Medical Certificate information, other jurisdictions will have better access to that information for law enforcement purposes.
Those drivers who fail to self-certify under these regulations by January 30, 2014 will have their licenses downgraded from a CDL to a Class D license. After self-certifying, CDL drivers will be required to renew that certification at least every two-years.
