On March 24, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a limited waiver from certain regulations applicable to interstate and intrastate commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learners permit (CLP) holders and to other interstate drivers operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).
The waiver is not an exception to the CDL, driver’s license or medical card requirements.
The waiver merely extends the expiration dates on licenses and medical cards that have or will expire between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020.
Commercial drivers must still hold the appropriate license type for the vehicles they are operating, even if recently expired.
Driver must have been physically qualified by a certified medical examiner prior to March 1, 2020 if:
The expiration is on or after March 1, 2020.
The medical certification was issued for a time period greater than 90 days.
The driver must carry a copy of the medical certification in their possession if they are claiming the waiver.
Carriers should beware that while the FMCSA has issued an enforcement notice regarding the waiver, it does not necessarily preclude individual states from enforcing the prohibitions on operating a commercial motor vehicle without a valid, unexpired license. Attention should be paid to individual states, some of which have issued their own extensions of license expirations.
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