Breaking news in transportation compliance: after almost two years of approving epilepsy exemption requests for commercial drivers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has quietly reversed course — denying two separate batches of applicants in the last month.
What Happened
FMCSA’s exemption program allows drivers with a history of epilepsy or seizure disorders to get behind the wheel of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) if they can prove their condition doesn’t pose a safety risk. For nearly two years, the agency said yes almost every time.
That streak broke on June 23, when FMCSA denied exemptions for 52 applicants covered under a December 2025 request — the first rejection since September 2024. A second denial followed on July 17, this time covering 18 individuals, using nearly identical language to the June ruling.
In both cases, FMCSA said the applicants didn’t meet the eligibility criteria and that granting the exemptions “would not provide a level of safety that would be equivalent to, or greater than” what federal law requires.
The Twist: No Clear Policy Shift
Here’s what makes this a real supply chain story, not just a compliance footnote: FMCSA approved 63 different applicants under the same exemption just five days before denying the group of 52. The approval and denial language pulled from the same legal standard — just landed on opposite conclusions.
That inconsistency has industry watchers asking whether this signals a quiet tightening of medical review standards, or just case-by-case variance. FMCSA hasn’t responded to press inquiries on the matter.
Why It Matters for Carriers and Drivers
- Driver qualification files are under more scrutiny. Fleets should expect closer review of medical exemption paperwork going forward.
- No blanket policy change — yet. The approvals haven’t stopped, so this isn’t a full-stop crackdown, but it’s a signal to watch.
- Compliance teams should flag pending exemption renewals tied to epilepsy or seizure history, since outcomes are less predictable than they’ve been in two years.
Source: FreightWaves — FMCSA says no to epilepsy exemptions after years of yes
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