SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Instructions

All submissions must include the Agency name and docket number. For detailed instructions on submitting comments, see the Public Participation heading below. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.

Public Participation and Request for Comments

If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice (FMCSA-2026-1783), indicate the specific section of this document to which your comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of these means. FMCSA recommends that you include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a phone number in the body of your document so FMCSA can contact you if there are questions regarding your submission.

To submit your comment online, go to www.regulations.gov/​docket/​FMCSA-2026-1783/​document, click on this notice, click “Comment,” and type your comment into the text box on the following screen.

If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8 1/2 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing.

FMCSA will consider all comments and material received during the comment period.

Privacy Act

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to better inform its regulatory process. DOT posts these comments, including any personal information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov as described in the system of records notice DOT/ALL 14 (Federal Docket Management System (FDMS)), which can be reviewed at www.transportation.gov/​individuals/​privacy/​privacy-act-system-records-notices. The comments are posted without edits and are searchable by the name of the submitter.

Background

The primary mission of FMCSA is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving CMVs (large trucks and buses). The Secretary of Transportation has delegated responsibility to FMCSA under 49 U.S.C. 31136 and 31502 to prescribe regulations that ensure CMVs are operated safely. As part of this mission, the Agency's Medical Programs Division works to ensure that individuals who operate CMVs engaged in interstate commerce are physically qualified and able to safely perform their work. CMVs characteristically pose a threat to highway safety if not operated properly by qualified individuals. CMVs are longer, heavier, and more difficult to maneuver than automobiles. Not only does it take a skilled driver to operate them safely, but it also takes a physically and mentally fit driver to do so as well. Information used to determine and certify driver medical fitness helps to promote and maintain safety on our nation's ( printed page 54913) highways. FMCSA is the Federal government agency authorized to request the collection of this information. FMCSA is required by statute to establish standards for the physical qualifications of drivers who operate CMVs in interstate commerce for non-excepted industries (49 U.S.C. 31136(a)(3) and 31502(b)). The regulations applicable to this collection are outlined in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) at 49 CFR part 391, subpart E. The FMCSRs in 49 CFR 391.41(b) set forth the physical qualification standards that most individuals operating CMVs in interstate transportation who are subject to part 391 must meet. The FMCSRs covering the performance of the CMV physical qualification examination of individuals who operate in interstate commerce by an ME and the related record-keeping requirements are found at 49 CFR 391.43. The results of the examination must be recorded in accordance with the requirements set forth in that section; they include preparing and maintaining a Medical Examination Report Form, MCSA-5875, and, if the individual is physically qualified, issuing an MEC.

The FMCSRs in § 391.41(b)(1) through (13) generally include the physical qualification standards required for the medical certification of individuals who operate a CMV in interstate commerce. The physical qualification standards in § 391.46 address the physical qualification requirements for medical certification of individuals who are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and are treated with insulin. However, the FMCSRs do not specifically address individuals who are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and are treated with non-insulin therapy. The type of diabetes mellitus that is not treated with insulin (commonly known as Type 2 diabetes) is recognized as a health concern for the general public. Non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus that is not properly managed and controlled may result in diabetes complications, target organ damage, and in the individual's physical condition being inadequate to enable the driver to operate a CMV safely. The physical qualification standards in the FMCSRs broadly address some of the conditions and symptoms that may be attributable to complications from non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus. Examples include the loss of limb and limb impairment standard (§ 391.41(b)(1) and (2)), the cardiovascular standard (§ 391.41(b)(4)), the rheumatic, arthritic, orthopedic, muscular, neuromuscular, or vascular standard (§ 391.41(b)(7)), and the loss of consciousness standard (§ 391.41(b)(8)). In performing a thorough assessment and evaluation of an individual diagnosed with non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, the ME may need to consult with the individual's treating healthcare provider who manages the individual's diabetes. The ME may find this helpful in determining whether the individual has any medical conditions or symptoms, such as frequent episodes of severe hypoglycemia, that may prevent the individual from meeting the physical qualification standards and receiving an MEC. This IC would assist the ME in collecting the appropriate information from the treating healthcare provider via the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, in a standardized manner and would assist the ME in making an informed and sound physical qualification determination.

In May 2021, FMCSA's Medical Review Board (MRB) deliberated on the topic and contents of the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872 (Task 21-2). FMCSA directed the MRB to review and comment on whether the information on the proposed Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, provides sufficient information concerning the treatment, management, and control of an individual's non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus condition to assist a ME in making an appropriate physical qualification determination. The Agency also requested that the MRB identify any areas of ambiguity as well as additional information that FMCSA should include on the form. Based on the review of the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, the MRB made some recommendations to improve the clarity and quality of information on the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872 that is provided from the individual's treating healthcare provider to the ME.

There is no required collection frequency for the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, because the use of this IC is voluntary and at the discretion of the ME. The ME may use the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, to facilitate communication with the treating healthcare provider responsible for managing the individual's non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus diabetes care, and to assist the ME in determining if the individual meets the physical qualification standards in § 391.41(b)(1) through (13).

The Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, is available as a fillable pdf and may be downloaded from the FMCSA website. Treating healthcare providers can fax or scan and email the report to the ME. Consistent with OMB's commitment to minimizing respondents' recordkeeping and paperwork burdens and the increased use of secure electronic modes of communication, the Agency anticipates that approximately 50 percent of the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Forms, MCSA-5872, will be transmitted electronically.

The information collected on the Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, will be used by the ME who requests completion of the form and will not be available to the public. The Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872, will become a part of the individual's physical qualification examination records that are maintained and retained by the ME for a period of at least 3 years from the date of the examination.

Title: Non-Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus Assessment Form, MCSA-5872.

OMB Control Number: 2126-0081.

Type of Request: Renewal of a currently approved ICR.

Respondents: Treating healthcare providers of individuals who are diagnosed with non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus who operate CMVs.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,011,520.

Estimated Time per Response: 8 minutes.

Expiration Date: January 31, 2027.

Frequency of Response: Other (Voluntary use at the medical discretion of the ME).

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 27,913 hours.

Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection, including: (1) whether the proposed collection is necessary for the performance of FMCSA's functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways for FMCSA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of the collected information. The Agency will summarize or include your comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this ICR.

91 FR 54912