# 2026-22510: Sixteen Drivers With Seizure Disorders Get Federal Trucking Exemptions

2026-22510, Qualification of Drivers; Exemption Applications; Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders, is a Federal Register notice from Transportation Department, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published 2026-11-04, effective 2026-07-27; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22510
- As of: 2026-11-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-22510
- Title: Qualification of Drivers; Exemption Applications; Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Transportation Department; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 69634
- Published: 2026-11-04
- Effective: 2026-07-27
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-11-04

## In one line

Sixteen Drivers With Seizure Disorders Get Federal Trucking Exemptions

## Summary

The FMCSA is giving 16 drivers with epilepsy or seizure disorders a green light to drive commercial trucks across state lines, as long as they take their medication and stay safe. These special exemptions started on July 27, 2026, and last until July 27, 2028. This change helps qualified drivers keep working without risking safety or breaking rules.

## Abstract

FMCSA announces its decision to exempt 16 individuals from the requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers have "no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a CMV." The exemptions enable these individuals who have had one or more seizures and are taking anti- seizure medication to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

## Effects PRIA read

- 16 Drivers Cleared to Drive Interstate: benefit, medium. FMCSA granted exemptions to 16 named individuals allowing them to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce despite a history of epilepsy or seizures. The exemptions are effective July 27, 2026 and expire July 27, 2028; the 16 drivers are listed by name in the notice.
- Required Medical Reporting and Compliance Rules: cost, low. Drivers granted these exemptions must remain seizure-free, maintain a stable treatment regimen, and report a seizure or change in treatment to FMCSA within 24 hours. They must submit annual treating-physician reports and certified driving records, undergo an annual medical exam by a certified medic…
- Federal Exemption Preempts Conflicting State Laws: benefit, low. While the exemption is in effect (July 27, 2026 to July 27, 2028), no State may enforce a law or regulation that conflicts with the exemption for a person operating under it. This ensures the federally exempted drivers can operate interstate without state-level conflict during the exemption period.
- Basis for Grant: Individualized Medical Assessments: benefit, low. FMCSA based these exemptions on individualized reviews of medical records, driving history, and treating-physician opinions; the 16 applicants had been seizure-free for between 1 and 21 years while taking anti-seizure medication and maintained a stable treatment regimen for the last 2 years. FMCSA…

## Related documents

- [2026-08144](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08144): Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures, 2026-04-27
- [2026-22508](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22508): Qualification of Drivers; Exemption Applications; Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders, 2026-11-04
- [2026-22277](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22277): Agency Information Collection Activities; Renewal of an Approved Information Collection Request: Hazardous Materials Safety Permits, 2026-11-02
- [2026-21950](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21950): Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for Exemption Renewal From Loomis Armored US, LLC, 2026-10-28
- [2026-21906](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21906): Commercial Driver's License: PAM Transport, Inc.; Application for Exemption, 2026-10-27
- [2026-21812](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21812): Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for an Exemption From R.B. Stewart Petroleum Products, Inc., USDOT # 1290158, 2026-10-26

## Sources
- [2026-22510 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/11/04/2026-22510/qualification-of-drivers-exemption-applications-epilepsy-and-seizure-disorders)
- [2026-22510 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-11-04/pdf/2026-22510.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-22509, Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, and Pummelos Grown in Florida; Continuance Ref…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22509)
- [Next: 2026-22511, Privacy Act of 1974; Systems of Records](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22511)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22510 (as of 2026-11-04).