Class 3 drivers will need medical documentation to enter U.S.

The United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a requirement that all professional carriers crossing the border into the United States must have a Medical Examination for Motor Vehicle Operators on file with their jurisdiction.

The Government of Alberta does not have a similar requirement for Class 3 driver’s licence holders. Drivers with Class 1, 2 and 4 licences already have medical exams on file and are not affected. Drivers with a standard Class 5 licence are not affected.

Starting this September 1, all commercial and professional drivers with a Class 3 Alberta driver’s licence will be required to have a medical confirmation letter from the Government of Alberta to enter the United States. They will have to keep the letter within their vehicle while driving south of the border. Class 3 drivers who don’t have a medical exam on record could be subject to a fine, a vehicle seizure or denial of entry into the U.S.

As this change is introduced, any enforcement and penalties will be at the discretion of U.S. officials. Effective April 1, 2017, drivers in this category who do not have a medical exam on record will be subject to full enforcement penalties in the U.S.

Class 3 driver’s licence holders wishing to meet U.S. requirements may provide a Medical Examination for Motor Vehicle Operators to the medical review section of Alberta Transportation, along with a note requesting a medical confirmation letter. This form is available at any physician’s office or Alberta Registry.

Class 3 driver’s licence holders seeking more information can contact Alberta Transportation at 780-427-8230 (tollfree in Alberta at 3100000), between 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

In Alberta, a Class 3 driver’s licence holder may drive:

Any motor vehicle that the holder of a Class 5 licence may drive.

A single motor vehicle with three or more axles.

A motor vehicle with three or more axles that is towing a trailer with one or more axles (if the trailer is not equipped with airbrakes).

A Class 2- or 4-type vehicle without passengers (bus, taxi, ambulance).

A Class 1, 2 or 6 vehicle as a learner.