Can any experienced driver confirm this?

I'm wondering why one would throw away that little paper, considering that it really doesn't take up that much room in the wallet.

Needed or not, why the stress over having it?

 

Always carry your medical certificate. Just in case.

 

You have to have your medical on file with the state. Go to the dmv and make sure it is updated with receipt before leaving. Last time I was inspected they did not want to see my medical card, either your on file in the state computer or it's no good too many forgerys.

 

I just went through the process in MN.
They only wanted the little medical card, not the long form.

I'm wondering, how would that prevent someone from giving them a forgery?
Even with a long form, it could still be forged fairly easily.
All it takes is a scanner, a printer and the name of a certified doctor.

 

Any driver who did not have their medical certification attached to their license as of January 30, 2014 would be listed as not qualified. Beginning January 30, 2015, all states are required to begin enforcing the regulation that paper copies of the Medical Examiner's Certificate are only valid for 15 days after issuance. ( Reference compliance link at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/commercial-drivers-license/compliance ).

Yes, you do not need to carry the paper medical certificate after 15 days, but I say this with a big asterisk based on where you live and how well a job your state has done getting a driver's medical certificate updated in CDLIS (Commercial Driver's License Information System). Here in Texas, they are doing a poor job of updating medical certification information on a driver's license in CDLIS and it is causing numerous downgrades to licenses. If you submit your new medical certification the same day you received a new DOT physical to Texas DPS via mail, email or fax as stated on their own website, it will take longer than 15 days for it to appear attached to your license in CDLIS, which is a major problem considering a paper copy of your medical certification is only valid for 15 days. In Texas, if you want your medical certification attached to your license and appear in CDLIS within 24 hours, you need to go to a Texas DPS office, pay an $11 fee to modify your license, get your picture taken, have a corner of your license clipped off and receive a paper copy of your license until the new hard copy is mailed to you within 6 weeks. I have had to do this because my employer will not let any drivers operate a truck if the new medical certification is not in CDLIS within 15 days of the medical certification issuance date. The process I described to get your medical certification attached to your license promptly here in Texas is NOT listed on any Texas DPS website, so most drivers are sending it in via mail, fax or email as instructed and finding out the state is not doing their job in getting this information updated in CDLIS. For drivers whose medical certification was expiring soon after the new DOT physical was taken are suddenly getting downgrade notifications. The fact that a driver here in Texas has to pay an extra $11 fee and spend hours of their time at a DPS office because the state is not doing their d a m n job is ridiculous! I can see a class action suit coming down the pike in Texas as a result.

So, if you are in a state that has promptly updated your medical certification in CDLIS, then there is no need to carry the paper medical card after 15 days since it would not be valid anyway. Of course, I personally now keep a digital copy of my license status showing my medical certification just in case any law enforcement claims they cannot verify my status. In the end, I still end up keeping some documentation to show my medical certification because government is too incompetent!

FYI, Texas also changed the self certification file that needs to be completed when submitting medical certification as of March 1, 2015. The CDL-7 form, which was a real simple form to fill out, has now been replaced with different more invasive forms based on whether you are running Interstate and require a medical certificate (CDL-4), Intrastate and require a medical certificate (CDL-5), or are exempt from needing a medical certificate, whether Interstate or Intrastate (CDL-10). Again, no reference to these new forms are mentioned as now required to be completed on any Texas DPS website as of March 7, 2015.

 

For whatever it's worth, I just had a Level III inspection a few days ago. In the past, I always had to show my "green card" (medical card) during the inspections.

This time, I was not asked for it; they're online now.

Do whatever your State tells you to do, caveat emptor, your mileage may vary, consult a Physician if it lasts over four hours, etc.

 

NLETS is the backbone of the various systems used for 'running' your license on the computer in the patrol car, scale house, or wherever. Each state has their own flavor of system that connects into it, but this is the basic system for information sharing between law enforcement agencies, courts, and BMV's. When an officer 'runs' your license, the information contained in NLETS is considered the most current and super cedes whatever you may show the officer in hard copy. For example, a state BMV could suspend a driver's driving privileges for failure to appear in court. While the driver still has their hard copy license, they still can't drive. NLETS will show this suspension.

The same thing will apply with your medical card. Just because you have the hard copy of the card with you will probably not be sufficient to the officer if NLETS shows you don't have a current card. It is, however, a defense in court if you can show you have all the proper documentation and the information contained in NLETS is wrong. If the information can be proven wrong, then the citation or whatever action will get thrown out.

It will pretty much be a useless task to argue invalid information in NLETS roadside with an officer. If anything, you will only talk yourself into a bigger pile of, well, that warm, brown mushy stuff if you start to argue. Court is never held roadside.

Nonetheless, if you know you live in a state having a hard time meeting the deadlines, I'd still carry the card - it can't hurt as at least the in-state officers will be aware of the issues. After you learn your state is on the ball, then stop carrying it at it's just another piece of paper then.

 

If you read that paragraph you posted very carefully, it actually doesn't imply that you don't need to carry your med certificate. That paragraph alone only states that if they run a check on you, via CDLIS or NLETS, and it shows your med certification, then that is acceptable. But that paragraph alone does not say anything about roadside stops where they might not have access to CDLIS or NLETS, via computer.

So in other words, always carry that thin lil' scrap of paper. Just to be safe. Um,, unless you think the Govt can never screw up.

 

Like 10 years ago, before all this electronic baloney, my CDL came up for renewal, and to renew it, you had to show a medical card. I was going to let my CDL expire, as I wasn't driving at the time, but my gf at the time convinced me to keep it active. So I went to the Pilot, and for $4.99 got a DOT health exam packet, that included a blank medical card, filled it out and it worked.( I know, what a crime) 2 years ago, when my CDL came up for renewal again, I was too paranoid to do that again, but still wanted to keep my CDL active, so the DOT office said I could keep my CDL without a Med card, but couldn't leave the state in a truck, not that I'd want to anyway. I think most companies, even if intrastate require a Med card.