Federal guidelines mandate that anyone applying for a CDL must pass the Department of Transportation physical exam. The purpose of this exam is to check 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, unless you have some health problem which could become worse in the in the near term, in which case you’ll have to take the exam sooner.

Health Requirements

The basic requirements for passing a DOT physical exam are:

• Vision in both eyes, as well as each eye individually, need to be 20/40, with visual improvement devices, such as glasses or contacts allowed.
• Needs to be capable of distinguishing colors found on traffic signals.
• Needs to be able to perceive a forced whisper at a distance of at least 5 feet.
• Maximum allowable blood pressure is 160/100. Use of prescription medication to achieve this threshold is allowed.
• Cannot have diabetes that requires insulin injections; diabetes controlled through a diet or oral medication is permitted.
• The maximum level of blood sugar an applicant is allowed to have is 200.
• Use of schedule 1 drugs is strictly forbidden.
• In case you are currently diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease such as congestive cardiac failure, collapse or cardiac insufficiency, then you will need to present 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 without restrictions.

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