Maintaining Your FMCSA NRCME Certification

Maintaining Your FMCSA NRCME Certification

Understanding § 390.111 for certified Medical Examiners with the DOT

If you’re a certified Medical Examiner (ME) listed on the DOT/FMCSA NRCME National Registry, your responsibilities don’t end after you pass the national exam. The FMCSA regulation § 390.111 outlines exactly what’s required to maintain your listing and ensure your certification remains active. Failing to meet these requirements, even unintentionally, can result in removal from the registry, interrupting your ability to perform DOT physicals.

Here’s what you need to know to stay compliant and continue serving commercial drivers.

Ongoing Requirements for Every ME

To stay listed on the National Registry, you must meet the standards outlined in §§ 390.103 through 390.115 and relevant portions of Part 391. These include:

  1. Keep Your Contact Info Updated
    Report any changes to your contact or registration information (like address or phone number) within 30 days via your National Registry account. This is mandated under § 390.103(a)(2).

  2. Maintain Licensure in Every State You Practice
    You must stay licensed, certified, or registered in each state where you perform DOT physicals. If you practice in multiple states, you’ll need valid credentials for all of them.

  3. Keep Documentation Readily Available
    Maintain up-to-date records of:
    1. Your state licensure(s)
    2. Completion of required NRCME training

  4. These must be provided:
    • Within 48 hours if requested for an investigation
    • Within 10 days if requested during a routine audit

Don’t Miss These Key Certification Milestones
Your certification is not permanent. You are required to complete training, and eventually re-test on a specific timeline:

Years 4–5: Required Refresher Training
Complete the FMCSA-specified periodic training no sooner than 4 years and no later than 5 years after your original certification date. This training will be available in your DOT account when eligible.

Years 9–10: Training + Recertification Exam
Before the end of your 10th year, you must:

    • Complete another round of FMCSA periodic training
    • Pass the recertification exam as required in § 390.103(a)(4)

Once you do, FMCSA will issue you a new 10-year certification.

What Happens If You Miss a Requirement?
FMCSA has the authority to remove you from the National Registry if you:

  • Fail to complete the required refresher training or exam
  • Let your state license lapse
  • Don't update your registration info within 30 days
  • Don't upload CDL examination results within 24 hours of the CDL examination
  • Cannot provide documentation when requested

This can impact your practice, your patients, and your professional reputation.

Stay Ahead of the Curve
At the NRCME Training Institute, we help you stay informed and compliant with all FMCSA guidelines. Our training program, blogs, and exam prep tools are designed to support you at every stage of your certification cycle.

Need help tracking your 5-year or 10-year milestones?
We’re here to assist between 9am and 9pm EST 7/365 at (941) 600-8411.

Your Call to Action
Bookmark this post, set calendar reminders for your recertification dates, and explore our NRCME training resources to ensure you're always compliant. To read more about the certification regulations, click here: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-390/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFRb2fe09fed5cadb6/section-390.111

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10-Year Recertification Notice

Certified Medical Examiners on the National Registry are required to be recertified no sooner than 9 years and no later than 10 years from the date of issuance of their medical examiner certification credential. Recertification requires that providers complete an accredited training program such as ours and pass the in-person national NRCME certification examination.

Call (941) 600-8411 for a single-provider discount.

Enroll to Recertify