FMCSA Medical Certificate extensions set to expire June 1

If you have put off getting your medical fitness certificate examinations for your commercial drivers license due to COVID-19, your time is about to end. The FMCSA medical certificate extension runs out June 1, 2021.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has released a series of declarations starting last March of 2020 allowing each state to extend commercial drivers license validity. This included medical fitness certificates.

The latest declaration that was issued March 1, 2021, is set to expire on May 31, 2021 and the FMCSA has indicated that they do not intend to extend the grace period further. Any drivers that do not have a valid medical certificate on file with their State Driver Licensing Agency may find themselves having their commercial status removed.

Oregon has released a notice indicating that drivers should book their medical fitness exams as soon as possible to avoid having this happen.

Canadian drivers have also been included in the FMCSA extension, provided that the driver’s province or jurisdiction has release a similar notice or declaration that extends the validity of medical fitness certificates. Ontario is one such province that has provided these extensions.

It is uncertain whether the FMCSA will issue a separate notice after May 31^st to cover Canadian driver extensions as the COVID-19 situation differs greatly between our two countries. We will update you further when more information becomes available.

Attention Ontario drivers: Ontario’s waiver extends until June 30, 2021, while the FMCSA runs out as of June 1^st. If you are making use of Ontario’s waiver to extend the validity of your licensing, be sure to check to make sure you’ll still be valid after the June 1 deadline if you’re planning on driving in the United States.

You can read the FMCSA declaration here.