A new medical?
I think it is inevitable that "fixed" ages are going to be challenged and will go the way of the dodo. The idea you are OK one day, then two days later after a birthday you are no longer competent just does not make sense.
What is going to be needed is a revised medical, really more series of ability tests, that will track a persons performance, mental and physical, at tasks that relate to the the job at hand.
Someone is going to have to set a threshold and that is going to be the hard part. No matter where you set the number someone is going to say, is there any real difference between a score of 599 and 601 with the threshold set at 600. Probably not but what do you do?
I'd sugest one way to deal with it is to conduct the tests at a regular intervals and track the rate of change. If it becomes clear some one is on the back side of the curve maybe that is when you pull the plug.
At one time I think Transport Canada was looking at doing something similar but gave it up as they could not get a handle on it. I do know the New York Transit agency once had screening that tested train operators reactions at sign in.The idea was to use this to screen out people who should not be at work that day, often due to fatigue. The system was scrapped in favor of pretty useless drug screening.
It will be interesting to see what develops.
20driver