What is a DOT physical?
Atlantic Coast Physical Medicine offers DOT physicals for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Drivers must pass all physical requirements set forth by the DOT to receive clearance for their commercial driver’s license medical card.
All commercial drivers must be in accordance with the standards of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Our licensed providers perform the necessary tests to ensure that as a commercial driver, you meet the physical, emotional and mental demands of your job duties. In addition, testing is conducted to determine if any medical conditions or surgeries, previous or recent, will impact your ability to perform the duties of a commercial truck driver safely.
What To Expect With A DOT Examination
The DOT examination includes an assessment of vision, physical aptitude, hearing and blood pressure/pulse screening. Tests may be performed to screen for the presence of illegal substances. Any prescribed or OTC medications taken by the driver should be compiled in a list and submitted during the examination to the examiner. Drivers should expect to provide a urine sample during the examination. The sample is utilized to detect any undiagnosed or unnoted medical conditions that may exist.
Drivers who wear prescription glasses or contacts for corrective vision or prescribed hearing aids for corrective hearing should bring these devices to the examination.
Following the DOT examination
Once the examination is complete and the driver is cleared to operate a commercial vehicle by standards set forth by the FMCSA, he may receive a medical card that is valid for 2 years.
In some cases, intermittent monitoring of the driver’s condition may be necessary. If so, a limited medical card that is valid for 12, 6, or 3 months may be issued.
Contact Atlantic Coast Physical Medicine today to schedule your DOT examination. Our licensed providers are available to perform testing to get you back on the road and keep you in compliance with FMCSA with a new or updated medical card.
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DOT Physicals FAQ
You must have a distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 with or without corrective lenses:
- see at least 20/40 with both eyes together
- see at least 20/40 with the right eye
- see at least 20/40 with the left eye.
Monovision is a disqualification. Use of a contact lens in one eye for distant visual acuity and another lens in the other eye for near vision is not acceptable, nor are telescopic lenses acceptable for driving a commercial motor vehicle.
Exemption: A driver with monocular vision may be able to get a Federal Vision Exemption Certificate, if medically fit for duty in all other categories of the physical exam.
You are permitted to wear contact lenses provided you’re used to wearing them and have a good tolerance for wearing contacts. Be aware that monovision is a disqualification, so use of a contact lens in one eye for distant visual acuity and another lens in the other eye for near vision is not acceptable.
The DOT physical exam to get your medical card does not include a drug test. This does not mean that any company you want to work for will not request a pre-employment drug test — they most likely will. But the DOT physical exam requirements do not include a drug test.
You will need to be off work for at least two months. You will need to get an Ejection Fraction and Exercise Tolerance Test, and be cleared by your Cardiologist before returning to work. This is a disqualifying medical condition, so once it is resolved, and before resuming operation of a CMV, you are responsible for obtaining re-certification from a Medical Examiner.
No. These terms are used interchangeably. They are most often referred to as a DOT medical when referring to the DOT medical card, and DOT physical when referring to the DOT physical exam, and sometimes drivers refer to them as a CDL physical or CDL medical.
If you had your DOT Physical done at Atlantic Coast Physical Medicine, give us a call and inquire about the process for getting a duplicate made and sent to you. If your physical was not performed at Atlantic Coast Physical Medicine, call the doctors office that did the original DOT exam and find out what the process is to get a duplicate made and sent to you. The medical office has to keep this information on file for at least three years, so they will have it.
