Alaska truckers get one-year exemption to continue using paper med certs
And then there was one.
After some 15-plus months of uncertainty following the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s implementation of its electronic medical certificate system in June 2025, only Alaska remains a holdout state yet to implement the final Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration (NRII) rule.
An ongoing exemption expires Oct. 11 that has allowed drivers and motor carriers in all states to rely on a paper copy of the medical examiner’s certificate (MEC) as proof of the driver’s medical certification for up to 60 days after the MEC was issued. Starting Oct. 12, that will no longer be the case in any state except Alaska.
FMCSA’s NRII rule sought to modernize how drivers’ medical certification was shared, replacing outdated paper-based processes with a secure, electronic transmission system, FMCSA noted in a Federal Register notice published Thursday. With the rule, medical examiners are no longer required to issue the original, paper MEC to commercial learner’s permit and CDL holders, and those drivers are no longer required to submit a paper MEC to their State Driver’s Licensing Agency (SDLA).
Instead, FMCSA electronically transmits exam results and medical variance information for CLP and CDL holders from the National Registry to the SDLAs, who then post the driver’s information on the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS).
Alaska is the only state remaining that has not implemented NRII. To ensure drivers licensed there with valid medical certification can continue to operate, FMCSA determined the existing exemption should be renewed only for these drivers and their motor carrier employers.
The agency granted a provisional renewal of the waiver for Alaska’s drivers for one year through Oct. 12, 2027. Under the terms, motor carriers and drivers can continue to use a copy of the MEC as proof of the driver’s medical certification for up to 60 days from the date of the medical certification being issued.
[Related: Paper med cards get more time: FMCSA]
Amazon contractor gets 2 years in prison for $3.5M invoice scam
Ameer Nasir, 25, of Trumbull, Connecticut, was sentenced this week to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for defrauding Amazon out of more than $3.5 million. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $3,547,090.93.
As previously reported, Nasir was a trucking company owner who registered a total of 23 trucking businesses with Amazon Logistics to transport both empty and loaded trailers between cities and Amazon warehouses and fulfillment centers.
One of the accounts was created in the name of Nasir’s business, Pak Express Transport, LLC, and others were created under false names or by fraudulently using the names and identifying information of other trucking or transportation companies without the knowledge of the operators of those companies.
Between approximately December 2019 and February 2021, Nasir used these accounts to sign up for more than 1,000 loads with Amazon Logistics, manipulated information in Amazon Logistics’ transportation management system to misrepresent that he had completed trailer movements when he had not, and submitted fraudulent invoices to Amazon Logistics that were subsequently paid.
Nasir was arrested on May 8, 2025, and he pleaded guilty to wire fraud on March 6, 2026.
[Related: Fleet owner admits to scamming Amazon out of $3.5 million]
Tennessee moving forward with I-24 toll lanes, but faces adversity
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in August announced that the state had chosen and approved contractor DriveTN as the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s private-sector partner to build out the I-24 Choice Lanes project.
Local reports indicated a rival contractor is suing the state over the project.
As noted in this 2023 report, Lee previously signed a bill into law that would, among other things, allow the state to explore tolled “Choice Lanes” on congested highways to improve traffic flow in urban areas. TDOT at the time said those lanes would give motorists the option of using tolled lanes on congested highways. Unlike a traditional toll road, only specific lanes of a highway would be tolled rather than the entire highway, and motorists would not be required to use the tolled lanes.
According to Lee’s August announcement, under the proposed partnership, DriveTN will design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the $9.2 billion project, while providing a projected $24.8 billion in concession value to Tennessee that may be leveraged to fund additional transportation infrastructure projects in the state’s busiest corridors.
The I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes project will add new, optional Choice Lanes in each direction along approximately 26 miles of I-24 between Nashville and I-840. Existing general-purpose lanes will remain available, while the new Choice Lanes will provide drivers with an optional path to a faster and more reliable trip.
Tennessee’s Transportation Modernization Board also authorized further development of three potential corridors for future Choice Lane development:
- A Northern Enhancement that could extend Choice Lanes along I-24/I-65 through Downtown Nashville
- An Eastern Enhancement that could extend Choice Lanes along I-40 a few miles past Nashville International Airport
- A Southern Enhancement that could extend Choice Lanes along I-24 through Murfreesboro and along I-840 toward U.S. 41
Local reporting indicated, however, that another contractor group is suing the state, challenging the bidding process. According to Nashville news outlet WKRN, 24 Choice Lanes Partners (24CLP) is accusing the state of wrongly blocking the public from reviewing the final agreement the state made with DriveTN.
24CLP also claimed that DriveTN’s bid was $17 billion higher than other bids submitted for the project.
[Related: Tennessee enables likely tolls for ‘Choice Lanes’ on highways to improve congestion]
