As of April 13, 2025, the State of Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has adopted a new procedure for handling federal medical card information. In the past, CDL drivers were required to select their tier of operation—interstate or intrastate—and indicate whether they were accepted from or subject to the requirement for federal medical cards. Once that was selected, those drivers who were required to obtain a medical card had to get one and upload it to the DMV. While Wisconsin reported being compliant ahead of the June 23 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) deadline, there were 14 states that were not yet ready to implement the changes. If employers hire drivers from Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Vermont, or Wyoming, they will likely still be seeing paper copies of the medical certificates as these states have not yet implemented the systems needed to be able to process the information from the FMSCA.
Under the new rule, the medical examiner is now responsible for sending the medical card information directly to the FMCSA, who will then upload it to the DMV. This should be an easier process for most drivers.
Since the intent of this new legislation is to phase out paper cards, it may be tempting for drivers to remove the card from their wallets once their medical provider has uploaded it. However, the rule indicates that full implementation was delayed until June 23, 2025, and drivers should continue to carry their cards with them. On July 15, the FMSCA issued a 15-day waiver (https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/assets/resource-center/FINAL%20NRII%20Waiver%207-14-2025.pdf) to drivers who have completed their exam but experienced delays with the examiner uploading the information. In this case, drivers can rely on the paper copy until the waiver ends on October 12, 2025. It is still advisable for drivers to carry a paper copy of their medical card even after the October 12 date, as it never hurts to have proof on hand.
The new practice is specific to CDL drivers and does not cover those who operate in interstate commerce with a vehicle weighing between 10,001 and 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating. This is considered a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) under many FMCSA regulations, but such vehicles generally do not require a CDL unless hauling placard quantities of hazardous materials. However, these drivers still require a federal medical card to cross state lines. Drivers of non-CDL CMVs will still need to carry their medical cards when operating in interstate commerce, as the medical information cannot be uploaded to a regular driver’s license.
Companies and drivers can locate medical examiners on the national registry by visiting: https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/search-medical-examiners.
