February 12, 2026

WEST TN MAINTENANCE COUNCIL MEETING

FMCSA Updates 

Speakers for today’s meeting were Jesse James and Clarissa Bennett.

Topics that were covered:

CMV Fatality Crashes for CY 2025- Tennessee

National Registry (NR) II- NRII, stemming from the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration Final Rule published in 2015, requires that medical certification results and variance information for CLP and CDL drivers be electronically transmitted from FMCSA’s National Registry to the appropriate State Driver’s Licensing Agency and posted to the CDLIS driver motor record (MVR).

(FMCSA granted a temporary waiver, effective January 11, 2026, and expires on April 10, 2026)

Tennessee became compliant with the NRII final rule beginning on June 16, 2025.

English Language Proficiency Requirements- the ELP assessment consists of two parts:

1)    Driver Interview
2)    Highway Traffic Sign Recognition Assessment

Failure in one or both parts of the assessment will be documented, and the driver will be cited for a violation of 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) and immediately placed out of service (OOS)

MOTUS: USDOT Registration System- being released in phases starting in December 2025 with a limited launch to supporting companies and a full launch to all customers in 2026.  Will be used to streamline the registration process for new applicants and the management of the registration life cycle for existing registered entities.

PRO-TRUCKER PACKAGE-

Expand Truck Parking
Remove One Size-Fits-All Mandates
Modernize Driver Resources
Slash Red Tape and Crack Down on Bad Actors

Contacts:

Jesse James- Safety Investigator (901-293-2951)-Cell
TN Division (Memphis)
Jesse.James@DOT.gov

Clarissa Bennett-Safety Investigator (865-207-1153)-Cell
TN Division (Knoxville)
Clarissa.Bennett@DOT.gov