DOT / CDL Physicals
The Department of Transportation requires regular medical examinations and physicals for truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators. AFC Doctors Express Urgent Care Southcenter has the experienced medical staff and state-of-the-art facilities to keep drivers safe and on the road.
Our staff is certified in DOT / CDL physical exams, including federal and forensic drug testing. Whether you are near Southcenter or surrounding areas, including Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Seatac or Tukwila, we can help you stay in compliance.
Why do you need a Medical Examination Report?
The DOT wants to make sure commercial truck drivers, livery drivers, and other transporters are safe to be on the road and take precaution to know the drivers’ information, health history, vision, hearing, blood pressure, and physical fitness are up to par and safe to be on the road with other drivers.
State driver licensing agencies (SDLAs) have begun adding medical certification status and the information on your medical examiner’s certificate to their Commercial driver’s license system (CDLIS) record. This means that anyone with a CDL absolutely has to have a physical and examination done by a registered clinic.
How will this change affect you?
There are many medical conditions that can disqualify people from driving. There are also recommendations for additional testing and limiting how long a certification is valid for drivers with certain risk factors or conditions. Most recommendations, restrictions and requirements are not new, but not all doctors knew about them. Now, all doctors who perform DOT / CDL exams will know the rules and recommendations.
- If you are healthy, you may pass the DOT / CDL exam as usual. What is healthy? A holder of a CDL must have 20/40 correctable visions in each eye. The key here is correctable vision and that means eye glasses or contact lenses are OK. A CDL driver cannot be diabetic requiring needle-injected insulin. Diabetes controlled by diet may be permissible. A driver’s blood pressure must be 160 over 90 or less for a 24 month DOT Medical Certificate.
- If you have health problems, sleep apnea, poor vision or hearing, or risk factors for developing certain diseases, you may need to:
- Have extra medical tests
- Provide records from your primary doctor
- Be treated and go through a waiting period before driving
- You may need to show proof that your treatment is working, especially true for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
- It is important to know whether you ate driving intrastate or interstate.
- There are many conditions and diseases of the heart, arteries, brain, nerves, lungs, kidneys, blood and other organs that are considered too high risk for commercial drivers.
Physical Requirements
There are 4 non-discretionary DOT federal/state standards:
Vision
- Corrected or uncorrected vision 20/40 in each eye and both eyes
- Color blindness for traffic signals
- Peripheral vision 70 degrees or better
Hearing
- Qualified drivers must be able to hear a forced whisper voice in better ear from not less than 5 feet or without hearing aids
- If driver fails whisper test, an audiometric test will be performed and hearing loss in better ear may not exceed 40 decibels
- Hearing loss is both ears over 40 decibels requires a waiver
Diabetes Mellitus
- May be qualified up to 1 year
- Use of insulin will require a waiver
Epilepsy
- Driver is disqualified if there is a clinical diagnosis or medical history of epilepsy or any other condition which may result in loss f consciousness or loss of ability to control a motor vehicle.
- A waiver may be available for drivers with a history of epilepsy/seizures off anti-seizure medication and seizure free for 10 years.
If you are looking to receive your DOT / CDL Physical from a registered physician here at AFC Doctors Express Urgent Care Southcenter, stop by our clinic today. We never require appointments and offer convenient hours – 7 days a week – to better fit your schedule!
All forms regarding DOT / CDL Physicals can be filled out in our office, making it easier to assist you in your process to become DOT certified.
Stop by today for all of your medical examination needs. We are located at 18012 68th Ave S in Kent, WA, and can be reached by phone at 425-291-3300.