Anyone who drives large vehicles carrying more than 8 passengers or over 10,000lbs is required to pass a specific physical to ensure they are in good enough health to operate the vehicle safely. You are then given a DOT medical card. Without this card, you will not be allowed to apply for or keep a commercial motor vehicle license. But how do you obtain one?
To get your DOT medical card, you have to make an appointment with a DOT qualified medical examiner, attend the appointment and pass the physical, then receive your DOT information and submit it to your DMV.
You should stay in decent shape and take care of your physical health. Exercise and a well-rounded diet can improve your quality of life drastically, and keep you in good enough shape to pass this physical. Just like any job, being able to hear and see well, and staying out of drugs will help in passing the exam. Keep reading to find out more.
Getting Your DOT Medical Card
There are a few steps to getting your DOT medical card and while they are easy, they do have stipulations or specific requirements that are necessary to effectively receive your appointment, physical, and paperwork required for licensing.
Getting your DOT medical card is also an annual requirement so you need to know what to do, yearly, to avoid having your license suspended or revoked.
Schedule an Appointment with a DOT-Trained Medical Professional
It is crucial to only schedule an appointment with a doctor who has been trained and licensed for the DOT physical exam. If you do not use a doctor who has been trained for this, your exam will not count towards getting your DOT medical card.
Many urgent cares and minute clinics have DOT-trained medical professionals who are allowed to do these physicals with you, and usually, you can find the closest one to you and make an appointment online.
It’s also important to try to schedule your appointment as close as you can to applying or renewing your license so your medical card can fully last 24 months after receiving your license. This isn’t a requirement, but it does make it easier to remember to do this when renewing your license rather than having two different dates throughout the year.
Passing the DOT Physical Exam
Most of the time, passing a physical for your DOT card isn’t all that difficult. It’s mostly an all-around check on your wellness.
Generally, the physical exam consists of checking things such as:
- Vision
- Mouth, Nose, and throat
- Heart and chest
- Lungs, breathing sounds
- Hernias
- Back, spine and joints
- Physical appearance
- Nervous system tests
- Hearing and vision test
- Drug screening
Once your doctor has checked all of these things they will explain problems that they saw you may need to improve upon, or they will clear you for a DOT medical card and provide you with the results and paperwork needed.
Get Your DOT Medical Card and Licensing
Once you have passed your physical and the medical examiner has given you the paperwork and certificate you need, it then needs to be turned into the DMV. If you are going to apply for your CMV license you can simply take the paperwork with you and turn it in at the time of your application.
Maintain Your Paperwork
However, if you are renewing, reapplying, applying for a higher class of license, or transferring to a new state, you may have to maintain your paperwork depending on your local DMV requirements. You do have to submit a new DOT card when your license gets renewed, or if you have had any medical history changes in the last few months since receiving your physical.
Since DOT medical cards are only valid for 24 months, you will be required to send in your DOT card every year and failure to do so can result in a revoked license, or suspended privileges.
Final Thoughts
Obtaining your DOT medical card is pretty easy and routine for most doctors and medical professionals, but you still have to ensure your doctor is trained specifically for a DOT physical exam, otherwise it doesn’t count towards your license.
Most people pass the physical exam with no issues the first time, however, not knowing what the exam consists of could prove to be a bit of an obstacle for first-timers. Simply doing your research and asking all the questions can remove many issues and problems you could encounter with receiving your DOT medical card.
