CDL Medical Certificate Requirements for Commercial Drivers

What Is a DOT Medical Certificate?

A DOT medical certificate (officially, the Medical Examiner's Certificate, Form MCSA-5876) is documentation that a commercial driver has passed a DOT physical examination and meets the federal medical standards required to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV).

Every CDL driver operating in interstate commerce must maintain a current DOT medical certificate and have it in their possession while driving.

Who Conducts DOT Physicals?

DOT physicals must be conducted by a licensed medical examiner listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME). Only examiners who have completed FMCSA-approved training and passed a certification examination are qualified to conduct DOT physicals.

Using a non-registered examiner is a violation. The FMCSA maintains the registry at nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov.

What the DOT Physical Covers

The physical examines whether the driver meets federal health standards in areas including:

• Vision: At least 20/40 acuity in each eye (with or without correction), adequate field of vision, ability to distinguish traffic signal colors
• Hearing: Ability to perceive a forced whispered voice at 5 feet or greater
• Blood pressure: Generally must be below 140/90 for a 2-year certificate; higher readings may result in a 1-year or shorter certificate with monitoring
• Cardiovascular health: History and current status evaluated
• Respiratory function: Conditions like severe sleep apnea must be treated and stable
• Musculoskeletal function: Ability to control the vehicle
• Neurological: Seizure history, loss of consciousness, etc.
• Mental health: Certain psychiatric conditions may require additional evaluation
• Diabetes: Insulin-treated diabetes has specific federal exemption requirements

Certificate Validity Periods

A standard DOT medical certificate is valid for up to 2 years from the date of the examination. However, if the driver has a medical condition that requires more frequent monitoring, the examiner may issue a certificate valid for:

• 1 year
• 6 months
• 3 months

The examiner determines the validity period based on the driver's health status.

Electronic Reporting to State DMVs

Since 2015, medical examiners are required to electronically submit the results of DOT physicals to the FMCSA Medical Registry within 24 hours. States then update the CDL record accordingly.

Consequences of an Expired Medical Certificate

If a CDL driver's medical certificate expires, they are no longer medically qualified to operate a CMV. Driving with an expired medical certificate is a violation for both the driver and the motor carrier.

Motor carriers must:

• Track medical certificate expiration dates for all CDL drivers
• Obtain updated certificates before expiration
• Remove drivers from service immediately if certificates expire

Motor Carrier Responsibilities

Motor carriers must keep a copy of each driver's medical certificate in their Driver Qualification File. The file must reflect the current, valid certificate.

At Do It Right Screening, our compliance portal tracks medical certificate expiration dates and sends automated alerts before they expire. Contact us to take the guesswork out of DOT compliance tracking.