Only a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry. Not any physician, and not a clinic that merely says it does DOT physicals. Ask for the registry number - a legitimate examiner will give it without hesitation, and a…
Only a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry. Not any physician, and not a clinic that merely says it does DOT physicals. Ask for the registry number - a legitimate examiner will give it without hesitation, and a certificate issued by anyone else is not valid.
Vision, at least 20/40 in each eye with or without correction and a 70-degree field in the horizontal meridian. Hearing, by forced whisper at five feet or an audiometric threshold. Blood pressure and pulse. Urinalysis for protein, blood and sugar - it is not a drug test, and drivers frequently assume it is. Plus a physical examination and a health history.
The standard certificate runs two years. Shorter periods are issued when a condition needs monitoring - most often blood pressure. Stage 1 hypertension typically yields a one-year certificate; higher readings yield three months with the opportunity to recertify once controlled. A short certificate is not a failure, and drivers should be told that plainly, because the fear of it drives people to skip appointments.
A list of current medications with dosages. Glasses or contacts, and hearing aids if worn. For drivers managing a condition: the relevant specialist letter, recent lab work, or device data. A driver with diabetes managed on insulin needs their exemption documentation. Turning up without these is the main reason an exam ends in a deferral rather than a certificate.
Primary regulations and standards referenced above. Where a standard is published commercially it is named in full rather than linked to a copy.