It is mandated by federal guidelines that anyone applying for a CDL must pass the Department of Transportation health exam. The purpose of this exam is to determine whether an applicant is physically capable of driving safely at the present time as well as in the foreseeable future.

Successfully passing the exam means you have 24 months before you need to do it again. In some instances, this period might be shortened in case that serious health problems might appear in the future.

Department of Transportation CDL Physical Requirements

The basic requirements for passing a DOT physical exam are:

• Need to have 20/40 correctable vision in each eye as well as both combined. Vision correction devices such as glasses or contacts are permitted.
• Ability to distinguish color is necessary.
• Hearing needs to be good enough to notice a forced whisper at a minimum distance of 5 feet.
• Maximum allowable blood pressure is 160/100. Use of prescription medication to achieve this threshold is permitted.
• Cannot have diabetes that requires insulin injections; diabetes controlled through a diet or oral medication is permitted.
• Blood sugar may not be higher than 200.
• Use of schedule 1 drugs is disallowed.
• In case you are currently diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease such as congestive cardiac failure, collapse or cardiac insufficiency, then you will need to provide the Medical Examiner with a stress test as well as with a note from your physician which states that you are able to drive a commercial motor vehicle with no restrictions.

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