Should I Update my FedMed Card?
Do I Need to Update My CDL Medical Examiner’s Certificate (FedMed Card)?
The answer to that is maybe. But you don’t need to update it for your Metro employment if you have not been notified by Metro that you need to do so.
The Commercial Driver’s Medical Certificate, or FedMed card as it is commonly called, is required for some CDL holders depending on which Tier they are under. CDL holders at Metro are in Tier 4 (EA – Excepted Intrastate). This means you don’t drive the commercial vehicle across state lines and aren’t required to have the FedMed card for another reason.*
Metro does use the FedMed exam as part of our pre-employment medical exam. We require covered employees to take the exam and get a cumulative 2-year certificate. If you pass with less than a 2-year certificate when you are hired, we will let you know when you need to go for another exam. For example, if you get a 1-year certificate, we’ll send you a letter letting you know prior to the one year mark that you need to go again. If you get another one year certificate, that is your two years. If you get a six month certificate, we’d send you again prior to that six month expiration, so that your total certificates equal two years.
If you were hired prior to December 31, 2021, that’s it. You’re not required to get additional FedMed exams once you get a total of two years’ clearance from your initial pre-employment test.
Sometimes people are confused about this because the Department of Motor Vehicles assumes you are in a different CDL Tier, or the clinic where you got your certificate assumes you need to keep the certificate active because that’s what they are used to. In the US, there are many more CDL drivers in Tiers 1 – 3 than in Tier 4. But if you need to update your FedMed card for your employment with Metro, then Metro will notify you. You don’t need to remember to do it on your own or take an exam because the DMV or clinic told you to. If you have questions, call Ann Schroeder at (608) 267-4967.
Something relatively new for Metro is that if you are a covered employee who had to take the pre-employment exam, and you were hired after 12/31/21, you will need to keep your FedMed card up-to-date. The medical exam is not required to keep your CDL, but it is a Metro requirement. CDL holders hired after 12/31/21will need to take the Metro Medical Exam (and we use the FedMed exam for this) every two years or as often as necessary to get and keep a two year clearance during your career with us. Metro will send you a letter to let you know each time you need to take an exam. You won’t have to remember this yourself.
Your responsibility is to make your exam appointment timely when you get the letter, attend the exam and follow up with any additional information requested. Keep Metro informed of any issues or delays. If you have questions, contact Ann Schroeder at (608) 267-4967.
*If you are in a different tier for another job (such as maintaining an S endorsement or driving a CDL vehicle across state lines) you must maintain your FedMed as needed for those jobs. The information in this article just pertains to your job at Metro Transit.