Why is the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners necessary?
Over the past 20 years (1982-2002), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates there has been a 42% increase in registered large trucks and a 93% increase in miles traveled by large trucks. There are approximately 7 million registered large trucks, 700,000 commercial buses, 11 million commercial driver’s license holdersand over 600,000 interstate truck and bus companies in the United States. These statistics reflect a significant increase in the presence of large trucks on our Nation’s highways over the last several years. There is also evidence that improper medical certification has contributed directly to crashes. The National Transportation Safety Board, for example, has documented cases where drivers with serious disqualifying medical conditions were involved in significant fatal and injury crashes. Reports from FMCSA field staff indicate numerous problems on our roads, where drivers who have disqualifying medical conditions are operating commercial motor ve
