Truck drivers are required to obtain a DOT medical card. The semi-truck drivers must show their line of health to ensure the safety of themselves and others. A DOT medical card can show proof of a driver’s ability to drive and if they have medical issues that could pose a threat to themselves and others. But what if that DOT medical card expires?
When a DOT medical card expires, it is up to the state to determine the requirements needed to reinstate it. In some cases, you may be able to just renew your DOT medical card. However, there may be instances where your ability to drive is immediately suspended upon the date of expiration.
This may bring other concerns and questions to your mind about how to reinstate your medical card or how long do you have after the expiration date do you have? Reading on will help answer these questions and offer other insights about your expired medical card.
What If My DOT Medical Card Expires?
There are a couple of things to keep in mind if your medical card expires. Depending on the state that you obtained or live in, you could simply renew or must re-do the certification process again.
In a more common or practical approach, some states will simply suspend your commercial driving privileges after the grace period until you have renewed. However, some states will suspend you completely, with no grace period, until you are reinstated.
How Do I Reinstate or Renew My DOT Medical Card?
There are certain steps to take in order to renew or reinstate your medical card. These can be simple or complex depending on state requirements. With the reinstatements of your license or renewing your medical card, there may be costs that go along with it.
To renew your DOT medical card these are steps that are required to fully complete the renewal process. These steps are below.
- Get a DOT Medical Exam.
- Self-Certification
These steps are vital in renewing your medical card and can determine if you will be reinstated as a driver or not.
Getting a DOT Medical Examination
Typically, when you get an examination for something like a sport or work, you only have to make a doctor’s appointment where they just basically do a checkup. However, a DOT medical examination is not that simple.
A DOT medical examination has different components that make it more than a checkup and should be expected to take place.
The components that make up a DOT medical examination are:
- Medical History
- Vitals Testing and Physical Examination
- Vision Tests
- Hearing Tests
- Physical Examination
- Drug Screening
- Pulse check
- Height check
- Weight check
- Blood pressure check
- Urinalysis that checks protein, blood, and sugar in urine samples
Let’s go over a few of these tests below.
Vision Test
After the vitals are checked, there will also be a vision test done to ensure that drivers are able to see the required vision acuity in each eye. This is done regardless of if you wear glasses or contacts and will check your line of sight.
Hearing Test
Next on the DOT examination list is a hearing test. This test, like the vision test, is important to pass a DOT physical. TO perform this test, the examiner will check the distance that the patient, or driver, can hear the whisper. This test can also be performed with an audiometric test, which is a way to measure the driver’s ability to hear different frequencies that help determine hearing loss.
Body Examination
There is another form of physical examination that is done to determine the physical appearance of the patient. This exam will check for obesity, and other medical conditions, and exam the body systems. This will be more to check the skin, lungs, the neurological system, and others to ensure there are no physical ailments.
Drug Screening
Lastly, there will be a drug screening that is done during the physical examination. This is to ensure that there are no known drugs in the driver’s system that can impair the driver from performing the duties necessary for a safe working environment.
Self-Certification
After the examination comes back clear, you will need to update your records. This will be done to the Department of Motor Vehicles, or the DMV, in the state where you live and hold a CDL in. This helps the state track and ensure that you are medically cleared to work.
The best way to self-certify is to physically take the DMV your new medical card for them to update in their systems and allow it to automatically show on your Motor Vehicle Record, MVR.
It is important to note that you typically have 14 days from when your previous medical card expired to self-certify your new DOT medical card to ensure that you keep the same license. If you are past the 14 days, then you may be looking at a downgrade in your driver’s license.
Final Thoughts
While it may seem like an easy task to renew your DOT Medical card, there can be more to it than meets the eye. After you have done your DOT medical card examination and what it entitles, you will then be responsible for getting your new DOT medical card to the DMV.
Getting to the DMV with your new and updated medical card within 14 days will ensure that your semi-truck driving career can stay the same without downgrades. Just make sure that you keep records on hand while you drive just in case.
