Health & Wellness · Driver Training VideoPassing Your DOT Physical

Every driver of a commercial motor vehicle has to hold a valid Medical Examiner's Certificate. That certificate comes from a physical exam performed by a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry — not just any doctor with a stethoscope.

The exam checks the basics that keep you safe out there: vision, hearing, blood pressure, heart health, and anything else that could cause you to lose control — or lose consciousness — behind the wheel.

Vision: you need at least 20/40 in each eye, corrected or not, a field of vision of at least 70 degrees in each eye, and you have to correctly recognize red, green, and amber signals.

Blood pressure is where a lot of drivers get surprised. Run under 140 over 90, and you're looking at the full two-year certificate.

If you're insulin-treated for diabetes, you're not automatically disqualified — your treating clinician completes FMCSA's insulin form within forty-five days of the exam, and your card lasts one year at most.

Your company standard: get your renewal scheduled before your current certificate expires, not after it lapses. Bring your current certificate, a full list of every medication you're on, and your glasses or hearing aid if you use them.

Once you're certified, your examiner sends the results electronically, and FMCSA passes them to your state. Confirm your state shows it on file. Let it lapse, and your state can downgrade your commercial license — you're parked until it's fixed, and that's on you, not the truck.