Not only will there be no grace period for recently expired medical exam forms, but another new version of the forms is under development, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
On October 4, 2018, the agency issued a notice to medical examiners informing them that October 4, 2018 is the last day they can use drivers’ medical examination forms and certificates showing an expiration date of 8/31/2018. Though the FMCSA has historically granted a “grace period” during which old medical forms could still be used, the agency declined to do so. The only change to the forms was the expiration date. The FMCSA failed to seek re-approval of the forms from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) until the date they expired, resulting in a rush to put the new versions into use. Without notifying the public, the FMCSA made the new forms available in late September and on October 4th notified examiners that it was the last day the 8/31/2018 forms could be used.
“Medical examiners must begin using the final approved forms with the 09/30/2019 expiration date as of today 10/04/2018 … to remain in compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations,” the notification states. The expiration date appears in the upper right corner and indicates the date on which the agency no longer has legal authority to require use of the form. The new expiration date, as set by OMB, is September 30, 2019. Fatal Crashes involving large trucks up 9% in 2017.
During a year when the number of fatal motor vehicle crashes decreased, such crashes involving large trucks were on the rise. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released results of the 2017 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) traffic report. Overall, the numbers showed that deaths on U.S. roads fell nearly 1.8% from 2016 to 37,133 in 2017. Crash fatalities decreased in nearly every segment of the population measured except for sport utility vehicles (up 3%), and large trucks (up 9%). Large truck crashes were responsible for 4,761 deaths in 2017, compared to 4,369 in 2016.
For the FARS report, a large truck is defined as any medium or heavy truck, excluding buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, including commercial and noncommercial vehicles. Trucks with a weight rating of greater than 26,000 pounds saw an increase in fatalities by 3.8% according to Ray Martinez, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Fatal truck crashes were significantly on the rise for trucks with a gross vehicle weight between 10,000 and 14,000 pounds, a class of vehicles that could include many vehicles not regulated by the FMCSA. However, the specific total for fatalities involving this class had not been determined at the time of release.
Martinez said the improved economy has contributed to an increase of medium and heavy trucks on the road in a working capacity, leading to higher potential for crashes. Martinez also noted that about 40% of the fatalities involving large trucks included occupants who were not wearing seat belts.
Other crash statistics involving large-truck fatalities include:
- Fatalities in other vehicles involved in large-truck crashes experienced an 8.8 percent increase from 2016 (280 occupants).
- Large-truck occupant fatalities in multiple-vehicle crashes increased by 76 to 343 fatalities, a 28.5% increase from 2016.
- Large-truck occupant fatalities in single-vehicle crashes increase by 40 to 498 fatalities, an 8.7% increase from 2016.
This overall decrease in highway fatalities in 2017 came after two years of consecutive increases in 2015 and 2016. The decrease in fatalities came during a time when vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased 1.2% from 2016 and the fatality rate per 100 million VMT decreased 2.5%.
Originally Posted on the Idealease Safety Bulletin