States Scramble To Meet Federal Jan. 30 Deadline

A small ID card is at the center of an issue between several states and the federal government regarding a Jan. 30 federal deadline. At stake are penalties of millions of dollars in lost federal highway money.

The card is carried by many commercial truck drivers and certifies that they are medically fit to drive. At the deadline, the federal government wants all states to begin gathering card information and enter it into a national database. Doing so would make it unnecessary for drivers to carry the cards.

However, according to the Associated Press, “about one-third of the states” are unable to comply for a variety of reasons ranging from a lack of technology to conflicting state laws. The AP reported that Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma are among the affected states.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said states that fail to meet the deadline could lose five percent of their federal highway money for 2012, and ten percent in 2013 if still not in compliance. For Colorado, that’s about $30 million.

But the deadline isn’t ironclad. The government is offering a two-year grace period to states failing to meet the deadline if they submit a compliance plan.

The AP reported that Colorado still expects drivers to submit medical information to state motor vehicle offices beginning Jan. 30, but doesn’t plan to enter that information into the database until mid-summer.

Joseph Bauer, a California truck driver, said his employer already ensures that his medical information is registered. Bauer said enforcement should be left up to states, not the federal government.

“Just give states their (federal) money to fix the roads,” he said. “Don’t take it from them. Some of that money come from fuel taxes that we pay. It’s just more government intrusion.”

But Jason Miner, a Monument resident, said the issue is more one of safety than of too much government involvement.

“If the government thinks it’s important to do, as a safety precaution, then this is a way for them to get it done,” he said.

You can find more specific information about the new medical licensing rules at http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/Revenue-MV/RMV/1251609017278