FMCSR 383.71H: CDL Medical Certificate Not on File – Q&A

Almost certainly not. Across all-time records for 383.71H, the out-of-service rate is just 0.8% — only 26 placements out of 3,332 total citations. This code is not OOS-eligible under the standard inspection criteria, which is why 3,306 of those citations resulted in no OOS order. For comparison, the all-FMCSR average OOS rate is 31.4%, so 383.71H sits dramatically below the norm. You'll almost always be allowed to continue driving after the citation is written, though the violation still goes on your record.

The STATISTICS block for 383.71H does not include a specific severity weight value, so no precise CSA point number can be confirmed here. What is known is that 383.71H falls under the Driver Fitness BASIC, which FMCSA uses to calculate Carrier Safety Measurement System scores. Violations in the Driver Fitness BASIC are weighted and then multiplied based on how recent the inspection was — inspections within the last 6 months carry the highest multiplier. With 2,484 citations issued in just the last 12 months, this code is actively enforced and will affect your Driver Fitness BASIC score if it shows up.

Act on the paperwork the same day. Here's what the co-occurring violation pattern points to:

1. Contact your state DMV or driver licensing agency and confirm your medical certificate is on file — that's the core fix for 383.71H.
2. Check your CDL status, because in our inspection records, 383.71H appears alongside code 383.23A2-LCDLN (operating without a valid CDL) in 74 shared inspections in the last 90 days alone.
3. Review your vehicle, since 393.78A windshield defects and 393.9A inoperable lamps also co-occur frequently — inspectors who find 383.71H often cite equipment issues in the same stop.
4. Verify your hours-of-service logs — 395.8A1 HOS record violations appeared in 18 shared inspections over the same period.

Relatively low severity — but the company it keeps is serious. The 383.71H OOS rate is 0.8%, while peer codes in the same Driver Fitness category hit dramatically higher rates: 383.23(a)(2) (CDL wrong class) carries a 98.4% OOS rate across 50,385 citations, and 383.23A2-LCDLN (no valid CDL at all) runs 98.6% across 47,123 citations. The all-FMCSR average is 31.4%. So 383.71H by itself is a paperwork-level issue — but if an inspector finds it alongside a CDL validity question, the risk of an OOS order jumps sharply. Don't treat this lightly just because the rate is low.

Yes, you can submit a Request for Data Review (RDR) through FMCSA's DataQs system. Because 383.71H is a documentation violation — specifically, whether your medical certificate was on file with your issuing state's driver licensing agency — it is the type of finding that can sometimes be corrected after the fact. If you can show that the certificate was already properly on file at the time of the inspection, or that the record was updated and the citation was written in error, DataQs is the formal channel to dispute it. Gather timestamped proof from your state DMV and submit it with your RDR as supporting documentation.

In the last 180 days, three states stand out by raw citation count. Alabama leads with 146 citations, followed by Iowa at 110 citations, and Georgia at 60 citations. Missouri (59) and California (53) round out the top five. One stat worth flagging: California's OOS rate for this code is 15.1% — the highest among the top ten states and well above the 0.8% all-time average. If you're running lanes through any of these states, make sure your medical certificate filing is current before you cross the state line.

Fix it before your next inspection. Our inspection records show 470 citations in just the last 90 days and 2,484 in the last 12 months — enforcement is accelerating, not slowing down. Monthly volumes peaked at 257 citations in both June and July 2025 and have remained consistently above 169 per month since. While the overall OOS rate is only 0.8%, California alone showed a 15.1% OOS rate in the last 180 days, proving enforcement intensity varies by state. Filing your medical certificate with your issuing state DMV is a single administrative step — there's no mechanical repair needed, just paperwork.

Both are affected, but in different ways. Under FMCSA's CSA system, 383.71H falls under the Driver Fitness BASIC, which contributes to the carrier's BASIC percentile score — impacting how FMCSA rates the fleet's safety performance. At the same time, the individual driver's inspection record carries the citation, which can affect their Preemployment Screening Program (PSP) report visible to future employers. Our inspection records show large carriers like Federal Express Corporation (8 citations, USDOT 86876) and Swift Transportation Co of Arizona LLC (7 citations, USDOT 54283) appearing at the top of the all-time list, confirming this code accumulates at the carrier level and is tracked there.