The purpose of a DOT physical is to determine fitness to operate a commercial motor vehicle. It is not intended to replace regular health evaluations by your primary care provider.

The DOT physical exam costs $95 (pass or fail). The payment options are cash, check or credit card at the start of the exam.

Two years is the maximum if you have no restrictions. However, certain medical conditions (like high blood pressure and diabetes) can restrict the length of time the medical card is valid.

To determine if you have diabetes or another problem with your kidneys, our on-site CLIA lab will test your urine sample for blood, sugar and protein. We do NOT test for drug use. If your employer requires drug testing, we will refer you to another lab for this specialized test.

Starting on January 30, 2012, when you:

• Apply for a CDL;
• Renew a CDL;
• Apply for a higher class of CDL;
• Apply for a new endorsement on a CDL; or
• Transfer a CDL from another State

You will be required to self-certify to a single type of commercial operation on your driver license application form. Based on that self-certification, you may need to provide your State Department of License Administration (SDLA) with a current medical examiner's certificate and show any variance you may have to obtain or keep your CDL.

For the purpose of complying with the new requirements for medical certification, it is important to know how you are using the CMV. To help you decide, follow these steps:

STEP 1: Do you, or will you, use a CDL to operate a CMV in interstate or intrastate commerce?

Interstate commerce is when you drive a CMV:

• From one State to another State or a foreign country;
• Between two places within a State, but during part of the trip, the CMV crosses into another State or foreign country; or
• Between two places within a State, but the cargo or passengers are part of a trip that began or will end in another State or foreign country.

Intrastate commerce is when you drive a CMV within a State and you do not meet any of the descriptions above for interstate commerce. If you operate in both intrastate commerce and interstate commerce, you must choose interstate commerce.

STEP 2: Once you decide you operate or will operate in interstate commerce or intrastate commerce, you must decide whether you operate (or expect to operate) in a non-excepted or excepted status. This decision will tell you to which of the four types of commerce you must self-certify.

Interstate Commerce:
You operate in excepted interstate commerce when you drive a CMV in interstate commerce only for the following excepted activities:

• To transport school children and/or school staff between home and school;
• As Federal, State or local government employees;
• To transport human corpses or sick or injured persons;
• Fire truck or rescue vehicle drivers during emergencies and other related activities;
• Primarily in the transportation of propane winter heating fuel when responding to an emergency condition requiring immediate response such as damage to a propane gas system after a storm or flooding;
• In Response to a pipeline emergency condition requiring immediate response such as a pipeline leak or rupture;
• In custom harvesting on a farm or to transport farm machinery and supplies used in the custom harvesting operation to and from a farm or to transport custom harvested crops to storage or market;
• Beekeeper in the seasonal transportation of bees;
• Controlled and operated by a farmer, but is not a combination vehicle (power unit and towed unit), and is used to transport agricultural products, farm machinery or farm supplies (no placardable hazardous materials) to and from a farm and within 150 air-miles of the farm;
• As a private motor carrier of passengers for non-business purposes ; or
• To transport migrant workers.

If you answered yes to one or more of the above activities as the only operation in which you drive, you operate in excepted interstate commerce and do not need a Federal medical examiner's certificate.

If you answered no to all of the above activities, you operate in non-excepted interstate commerce and are required to provide a current medical examiner's certificate (49 CFR 391.45),commonly referred to as a medical certificate or DOT card, to your SDLA. Most CDL holders who drive CMVs in interstate commerce are non-excepted interstate commerce drivers.

If you operate in both excepted interstate commerce and non-excepted interstate commerce, you must choose non-excepted interstate commerce to be qualified to operate in both types of interstate commerce.

Intrastate Commerce:
You operate in excepted Intrastate commerce when you drive a CMV only in intrastate commerce activities for which your State of licensure has determined do not require you to meet the State’s medical certification requirements.

You operate in non-excepted intrastate commerce when you drive a CMV only in intrastate commerce and are required to meet your State of licensure’s medical certification requirements.

If you operate in both excepted intrastate commerce and non-excepted intrastate commerce, you must choose non-excepted intrastate commerce.

STEP 3: Provide your SDLA with your self-certification of your operating status. If you self-certify to non-excepted interstate on or after January 30, 2012, you must provide your SDLA with either the original or copy of your current medical examiner's certificate as required by your SDLA.

If your medical examiner's certificate is only valid with a vision, diabetes or a skills performance evaluation variance granted by FMCSA, you may also be asked by your SDLA to provide a copy of that variance document.

Your SDLA will notify you that you are no longer medically certified to operate a CMV in non-excepted Interstate commerce. The SDLA will then remove all your CDL privileges from your license.

You must have a new medical examination and obtain a new medical certificate. You must then provide the SDLA the new medical examiner's certificate. You are also responsible for applying to FMCSA for a renewal of your variance.

Your SDLA will notify you that you are no longer medically certified to operate a CMV in non-excepted Interstate commerce. The SDLA will then remove all your CDL privileges from your license.

If the medical examiner's certificate has expired, you must obtain a new one and provide it to your SDLA. If the variance has expired, you must renew it with FMCSA. Your State may require retesting and additional fees to get back your CDL privileges. If allowed by your SDLA, you may also change your self-certification to an operating category that does not require a medical certificate.