FMCSA changes from 2025 to 2026: what took effect, and when

Three changes reach every driver qualification file: how you prove medical status, who can hold a non-domiciled CDL, and how English proficiency is enforced. A fourth removes a duty from drivers.

Medical certification is electronic

Since June 23, 2025, medical examiners send CDL and CLP holders' results to the state electronically and no longer issue the original paper certificate. A paper copy was accepted for up to 60 days while states caught up, but that exemption ended October 11, 2026. Only drivers licensed in Alaska, the one state that hasn't implemented the system, may still use a paper copy, through October 12, 2027.

For CDL drivers, verify medical status on the state driving record (the CDLIS MVR) before they drive, as 49 CFR 391.23(m)(2) already required. Our guide to the new DOT physical requirements covers the exam itself.

Non-domiciled CDLs: three visa types

FMCSA's interim rule of September 29, 2025 was stayed by a federal appeals court in November 2025, then replaced by a final rule effective March 16, 2026. Only H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 status holders can now get a non-domiciled CDL, and it expires with the holder's I-94 or after one year, whichever comes first. Track those dates in each file; the background is in our non-domiciled CDL rule explainer.

English proficiency and conviction reports

Since June 25, 2025, a driver who can't meet the English proficiency rule in 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) is placed out of service at roadside under CVSA's criteria. And since July 22, 2026, CDL holders no longer report out-of-state convictions to their home state, because states now exchange them electronically. The duty to tell you, the employer, in writing within 30 days of a conviction still stands.

Most of 2026's final rules removed requirements rather than added them. Each one still leaves a duty behind, so read the fine print before you clear out the cab.

• ELD manual (July 22, 2026). The user's manual no longer has to ride in the truck. The rest of the ELD packet does: data-transfer instructions, malfunction instructions, and blank graph-grids for at least 8 days, under 49 CFR 395.22(h). More in our ELD mandate update.
• Roadside inspection reports (July 22, 2026). Return the signed report only if the issuing state asks for it. You still certify within 15 days that every violation was corrected and keep a copy for 12 months.
• Electronic DVIRs (March 23, 2026). The rule now says outright that driver vehicle inspection reports may be created and kept electronically.
• Spare fuses and flares. Spare fuses stopped being required on April 20, 2026, and references to liquid-burning flares were removed on March 23, 2026. Triangles or fusees are still required.
• Emergency relief (October 5, 2026). When a governor or FMCSA declares a regional emergency, carriers giving direct assistance get relief from the hours-of-service limits for up to 30 days, up from 14.
• Speed limiters (July 24, 2025). FMCSA and NHTSA withdrew the proposals to require speed limiters on trucks over 26,000 pounds. No new federal proposal has followed.

Three changes you'll hear about are not federal rules yet, so they don't change what you do today.

• CSA scoring update. Approved in 2024, no launch date. Carriers can preview their results by logging in to FMCSA's Prioritization Preview.
• Hours-of-service pilots. One lets drivers split the 10-hour break into two periods in any combination, as long as one is at least 5 hours in the sleeper berth. The other lets drivers pause the 14-hour window for up to 3 hours a day. Pre-tests ended in July 2026, and FMCSA plans the full launch in 2027, for enrolled drivers only.
• English proficiency rule. FMCSA proposed on August 10, 2026 to write the out-of-service standard into its own rules. Comments closed October 9, 2026. Roadside enforcement already applies.