Action
Advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM); request for comments.
Summary
FMCSA announces that it is considering whether to amend its medical qualifications standards to allow the operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce by drivers with insulin- treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) whose physical conditions are adequate to allow them to operate safely and without deleterious effects on their health. At present, drivers with ITDM are required to obtain exemptions before operating CMVs. Upon completion of this rulemaking, drivers with ITDM might not be required to apply for exemptions from the current rule prohibiting such drivers from operating in interstate commerce. However, unless and until the agency changes the current standard in this rulemaking, drivers with ITDM are prohibited from operating CMVs in interstate commerce, unless such individuals have exemptions from FMCSA. Any action to revise the current standard would be made in conformity with the changes in FMCSA's existing authority to establish, review and revise physical and medical qualification standards for drivers made by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which added, among other changes, a requirement that the standards be developed with the assistance of expert medical advice.