Federal guidelines mandate that all commercial drivers pass the Department of Transportation physical exam. The purpose of this exam is to determine whether an applicant is fit enough to drive 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, unless you have some health issue which might become worse in the in the near term, in which case you will have to take the exam sooner.

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.
• Must be capable of distinguishing colors found on traffic signals.
• Hearing needs to be good enough to notice a forced whisper at a minimum distance of 5 feet.
• Blood pressure has to be lower than 160/100. Prescription medication to control blood pressure is permitted.
• Cannot have diabetes that requires insulin injections; diabetes controlled through a diet or oral medication is permitted.
• Your blood sugar level must be at most 200.
• No use of a Schedule 1 drug, amphetamine, narcotic or any habit forming drug is allowed.

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