DON’T LOSE IT! - Medical Certification Required for CDL Drivers

Tanker Truck on the Highway

Effective January 30, 2015, all drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) must have a current medical certification registered with the Texas Driver’s License Agency, Department of Motor Vehicles Division. That includes oilfield drivers working in the Eagle Ford Shale.

Original Deadline was January 30, 2014, and that has been extended to January 30, 2015

Download the Texas CDL Self-Certification Affidavit HERE

All CDL holders must provide information to their state driver’s license agency (SDLA) regarding the type of commercial motor vehicle operation they drive in or expect to drive in with their CDL. Drivers operating in certain types of commerce will be required to submit a current medical examiner’s certificate to their SDLA to obtain a “certified” medical status as part of their driving record. CDL holders required to have a ”certified” medical status who fail to provide and keep up-to-date their medical examiner’s certificate with their SDLA will become ”not-certified” and they may lose their CDL.

It is the drivers’ responsibility to keep their medical certification up to date. Drivers who do not submit a medical certification prior to it expiring will find that their CDL license will be downgraded to a non CDL license. They’ll lose their commercial motor vehicle operation privileges. In order to regain the CDL a driver will have to complete all written and skills tests all over again.

While registering the certificate is the responsibility of the individual driver, employers have a stake in the matter. They stand to lose valuable drivers who fail to comply with the regulation. So it’s in the employers’ interest to inform their drivers of the requirement. Follow up and make sure all commercial motor vehicle drivers have taken steps to keep their CDL in force.

Each state is handling the matter of medical certificates differently. For specific state-by-state requirements for drivers and information related to how a state is handling the Medical Certification requirements, and to determine whom to contact for additional information, click on the following link: http://www.aamva.org/aamva/DocumentDisplay.aspx?id={687D99D3-FFB5-4B76-BD6F-F5EF54728BE0

A Case Study

John Rojas, Education Specialist for Mike Byrnes and Assoc., Inc., relates his experience:

I personally renewed my CDL license at the local DMV in Corpus Christi. Fortunately I scheduled my visit perfectly because I was in and out of there in about 30 minutes. I had to complete a self-certification affidavit (CDL-7 form). The form is pretty simple to fill out and all you have to do is check what type commerce you operate in. This form will determine your eligibility to operate a commercial vehicle with or without a current medical certificate.

Since I renewed my license at my local DMV they relayed my information to the enforcement and compliance service for me.

How Eagle Ford Drivers Can Self-Certify

Self-certify by completing a CDL-7 form. You can do this via the Internet. Go to www.dps.texas.gov/driverlicense. Complete the form online and save it in PDF format. Then email that PDF to CDLMedCert@dps.texas.gov.

Need help deciding the type of commerce in which you plan to operate? Read the information for DOT medical certification requirements that you’ll find at http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/DriverLicense/medCertReq.htm .

You can also print out the CDL-7 form and mail it to:

Texas Department of Public Safety Enforcement and Compliance Service

Attn: CDL Section P.O. Box 4087 Austin, TX 78773-0320 Or you can fax it to 512-424-2002.

Depending on what type of commercial driving you do you may also need to get a medical examiner’s certificate. (All but one of the four Categories require one.) If your driver’s license is current but you have not submitted a copy of your current medical card to the enforcement and compliance service you can submit it yourself. Send a copy of your medical card by mail or fax, or email it. Note that documents submitted by email must be in PDF format, so you may need to scan that medical certificate and save it as a PDF.

Don't Let Eagle Ford Drivers Be Put “Out-of-Service”

Drivers Daily Vehicle Inspection Report

In trucking, “out-of-service” criteria define a set of physical conditions under which a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) or commercial driver may be prohibited from operating. An out-of-service violation removes the driver and CMV from the roadway until the violation is corrected, which obviously means no work gets done and no one gets paid. In addition, out of service violations are sometimes punishable by fines.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is serious about getting unsafe trucks off our roads and penalizing drivers and owners who fail to follow the regulations. In recent years, there have been more trucking companies and passenger bus companies placed out of service than ever before. The MAP-21 highway funding law that went into effect doubled most fines for serious violations.

Sharing the Blame

New rules that went into effect Oct. 1, 2013, allows the agency to place an entire carrier out of service for operating vehicles “without or beyond the scope of registration,” according to the regulation, whereas previously only the unregistered vehicle itself could be placed out of service. Now both the carrier as well as the vehicle can be penalized. Carriers and drivers who fail to comply with the state and federal regulations can be more easily be prevented from operating.

You can imagine this puts an even greater emphasis on thorough vehicle inspections and preventive maintenance which would catch potential risks to safety before they can cause accidents. A diligently-performed daily vehicle inspection will disclose such potential problems as faulty brake systems and bald tires.

Out-of-service penalties can also be levied against drivers without proper licensing and training. A CMV driver without a CDL or one that has expired can be just a serious a safety liability as brakes that won’t hold or tires ready to blow.

Activity in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas has increased truck traffic tremendously and statistics show trucking related accidents are up 41 percent.

Keep Eagle Ford Roadways Safe

[ic-l]In November, 2013, Sergeant Villarreal with Corpus Christi Department of Public Safety (DPS) spoke at the National Association for Publicly Funded Schools Region 4 “Keeping Our Roadways Safe” Conference at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Sergeant Villarreal indicated that the top three violations DPS officers see when pulling a commercial vehicle over in the Eagle Ford Shale are:

1. Vehicle Inspections performed improperly or not at all
2. Log Book Violations
3. Driving a truck without a valid CDL license.

Keep Eagle Ford Drivers Trucking

Now that carriers as well as vehicles can be put out of service, here are five tips to help keep drivers “in service” and safely on the road:

• Repair broken equipment.
• Hire qualified drivers that have been properly trained with a valid CDL.
• Have a strict pre/post trip vehicle inspection policy and hold drivers responsible for conducting and reporting them.
• Have a no tolerance policy on faulty log book violations.
• Conduct weekly or monthly safety meetings and reward employees for good audit results and discipline drivers that do not.