AMES, Iowa – Oct. 11, 2013 – With a January 2014 compliance date quickly approaching to meet medical self-certification requirements for commercial driver’s license holders, the Iowa Department of Transportation is reminding CDL holders of an online service aimed at helping them comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations. The “myMVD Self-Certification and Medical Examiner’s Certificate” service is available online, anytime for the convenience of busy drivers.
Since the Iowa DOT began compliance with the federal rules in January 2012, every new applicant for a CDL and those renewing existing CDLs were required to self-certify the type of driving they do, interstate or intrastate, and if applicable, submit a copy of their Medical Examiner’s Certificate to the Iowa DOT. The federal rule requires all CDL holders to be self- certified by Jan. 30, 2014, regardless of CDL expiration date. If not, the Iowa DOT must mark the driver record as not medically certified and then initiate a downgrade of the CDL to a noncommercial status.
Based on a report from Oct. 1, 38.7 percent of Iowa CDL holders still need to self-certify.
To avoid unnecessary complications for any CDL holder, the Iowa DOT: (1) started notifying drivers of the requirement by sending reminder notices to each holder prior to their expiration date; (2) created a comprehensive website at www.iowadot.gov/mvd/ods/
CDL holders do not need to wait for the notification; they can make their self-certification online at: https://mymvd.iowadot.gov/
1. Visit https://mymvd.iowadot.gov.
2. Enter your name, date of birth, last five digits of your social security number and Iowa driver’s license number.
3. Select the “Self-Certification and Medical Examiner’s Certificate” application.
4. Select the type of commercial motor vehicle operation you drive in or expect to drive in with your CDL. Based on your selection, you will or will not be required to provide a copy of a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate. If a certificate is required, instructions will be provided for emailing, faxing or mailing the form to the Iowa DOT.
If you don’t have online access, you can still meet the deadline by following these instructions.
- If your driver’s license expires between now and Jan. 30, 2014, go to the driver’s license station when it is time for your CDL to be renewed. The clerk will ask you to declare the type of commercial motor vehicle operation you intend to perform. If it falls into a certain category, you will be asked to provide your Medical Examiner’s Certificate so that it can be scanned and saved with your driver record.
- If your driver’s license does not expire until after Jan. 30, 2014, you must go to an Iowa driver’s license issuance location before Jan. 30, 2014. The clerk will ask you to declare the type of commercial motor vehicle operation you intend to perform. If it falls into a certain category, you will be asked to provide your Medical Examiner’s Certificate so that it can be scanned and saved with your driver record.
Until the federal program is fully implemented on Jan. 30, 2014, a driver must still carry an original or copy of his or her Medical Examiner’s Certificate, and provide a copy to his or her employer for the individual’s driver qualification file.
For additional information about CDL self-certification and Medical Examiner’s Certificate reporting, check out the brochure at http://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/
