It is mandated by federal guidelines that every commercial diver passes the DOT health exam. The purpose of this test is to determine whether a potential driver is physically capable of driving safely at the present time as well as in the foreseeable future.

Federal guidelines mandate that anyone applying for a commercial drivers license must pass the DOT physical exam. The goal of this test is to determine whether an applicant is fit enough to drive safely now and in the foreseeable future.

Passing the exam successfully means you have 24 months before you need to do it again. In some cases, this period might be decreased if serious health problems could appear in the future.

Health Requirements

Below are the basic requirements for passing the DOT physical exam.

  • Need to have 20/40 correctable vision in each eye as well as both combined. Vision correction devices such as glasses or contacts are allowed.
  • Must be capable of distinguishing colors found on traffic signals.
  • Hearing should be good enough to notice a forced whisper at a minimum distance of 5 feet.
  • Maximum allowable blood pressure is 140/90. Use of prescription medication to achieve this threshold is permitted.
  • An applicant can have diabetes which is controlled through diet or medication. Diabetes controlled through insulin injections is not permitted.
  • The maximum level of blood sugar an applicant is allowed to have is 200.
  • Use of schedule 1 drugs is strictly forbidden.
Last updated on Friday, March 6 2020.