Imagine this: You’re running a tight fleet. Trucks are moving, clients are happy, your compliance binder isn’t collecting dust. Then boom—the FMCSA steps in with a plot twist that drops like a cinder block from an overpass.
15,225 DOT medical certificates? Gone.
Not expired. Not lost. Straight-up voided. Like they never existed.
And if your drivers got their physicals done by two Houston-based chiropractors—Dr. Jenny Le or Dr. Dustin Mai—then your company may be standing on a compliance trapdoor.
🔍 What the FMCSA Found (and Why It Matters)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently discovered that Dr. Le and Dr. Mai issued DOT physicals at a rate that made heads turn—and not in a good way.
When you’re cranking out more medical certs than a coffee shop slings lattes, folks start asking questions.
So FMCSA handed the baton to the DOT Office of Inspector General (OIG), who decided it was worth calling in some backup. You know, just the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. No big deal.
The results? These docs weren’t playing by the rules. They weren’t properly applying FMCSA’s required standards for physical qualifications. And now, the FMCSA is making things right—by voiding every certificate they touched from March 2023 to March 2025.
🔴 Who This Affects (Spoiler: Probably More Than You Think)
Let’s break down the math:
- 15,225 certificates
- 2 non-compliant doctors
- 1 big compliance storm
Even if you’re not based in Texas, don’t assume you’re safe. Drivers travel. Word gets around. Discount physicals spread like wildfire. A driver visiting family in Houston could’ve squeezed in a quick check-up without blinking.
And now? That certificate is a liability.
If your driver’s MEC (Medical Examiner’s Certificate) was signed by Dr. Jenny Le or Dr. Dustin Mai, it’s officially void as of April 11, 2025. And if that driver doesn’t get re-certified by May 10, 2025? Their CDL gets downgraded.
Downgraded. Not maybe. Not possibly. It’s happening.
🔁 What FMCSA Had to Say About It
Here’s a little corporate speak with a compliance punch:
“Removing non-compliant medical examiners from the National Registry is a necessary step to maintain the integrity of the medical certification process.”
—Jesse Elison, FMCSA Chief Counsel
Translation? If you cut corners, we cut you loose. Period.
⚡ Why This Is a Company-Wide Wake-Up Call
This isn’t just about a couple bad apples with stethoscopes. This is about how fragile your DOT compliance really is when one overlooked document can blow a hole in your entire operation.
You may have:
- Perfect logs
- Spotless drug test records
- Drivers of the month lined up like trading cards
But if just one of them is operating under a voided medical certificate, you’re exposed.
Insurance? At risk. CSA scores? At risk. Company reputation? On the line.
✅ What You Need to Do NOW
Here’s how to turn this from disaster into done:
⭐ Audit those MECs. Like, yesterday.
Pull every driver file. If you see Dr. Le or Dr. Mai’s name, highlight it like it owes you money.
⭐ Schedule new exams with someone on the FMCSA’s National Registry.
⭐ Get it done before May 10. If that deadline passes, your driver’s license downgrade process kicks off faster than a pre-trip inspection.
⭐ Call Eclipse DOT. We help fleets fix messes like this for a living. We’ll get your compliance house in order so you’re not scrambling the next time FMCSA decides to shake things up.
🧐 Dan’s Final Word
This isn’t just a wake-up call. It’s a full-blown fire drill.
The drivers affected here? Most of them didn’t do anything wrong. They went to someone who had a medical license, who showed up on the FMCSA registry, and who probably smiled real nice before handing them a clean bill of health.
But that’s not enough.
Compliance can’t be taken at face value.
You need to:
- Know who your people are seeing
- Know how legit their credentials are
- Know what gets flagged before the FMCSA or your insurance company does
That’s where Eclipse DOT comes in. We don’t just hand you a checklist and wish you luck. We partner with you, get in the trenches, and build systems that actually keep your business protected.
So let’s patch this hole before it floods the whole ship. Let’s turn compliance into confidence.
Call us. We’ll handle the hard stuff.
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