The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) says that thousands of truck drivers will need to obtain new medical certification after the agency deemed two Houston-area doctors non-compliant with physical qualification examination regulations.
On Friday, April 11, FMCSA announced that over 15,000 unexpired Medical Examiner’s Certificates (MECs) issued by Dr. Jenny Le and Dr. Dustin Mai between March 2023 and March 2025 have been voided.
FMCSA says that the total number of commercial vehicle drivers affected by the voided MECs is 15,225.
“While this action does not immediately impact a driver’s ability to continue operating a CMV, drivers who received their MECs from Dr. Le or Dr. Mai must obtain a new certificate by May 10, 2025, from one of more than 38,000 active medical examiners listed on the National Registry. If a driver fails to obtain a new certificate by the identified date, the driver’s respective state drivers licensing agency (SDLA) will initiate procedures to downgrade the driver’s CDL,” the agency stated.
The U.S. Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched an investigation after the FMCSA flagged a “high volume of physical qualification examinations” conducted by Drs. Lee and Mai.
Following the investigation, “FMCSA subsequently determined that Dr. Le and Dr. Mai failed to correctly apply required standards in determining that drivers are physically qualified to operate a CMV.”
The FMCSA plans to issue Notices of Proposed Removal from the National Registry of Medical Examiners for Dr. Le and Dr. Mai for failure to adequately perform DOT physical exams.
“FMCSA’s primary mission is to enhance safety on our nation’s roadways,” said FMCSA Chief Counsel Jesse Elison. “Removing non-compliant medical examiners from the National Registry is a necessary step to maintain the integrity of the medical certification process and ensure that only qualified, properly trained professionals are certifying the physical qualifications of commercial motor vehicle drivers.”
You can click here to learn more about FMCSA medical requirements.
