Medical & health
Staying healthy enough to keep the card
The DOT physical comes back every two years at most. Practical, unglamorous ways drivers protect the numbers that decide how long their medical certificate runs.
5 min read
Medical & health
The DOT physical, what disqualifies a driver, and how to stay certified for the rest of your career.
Medical & health
Your examiner now sends the card to the state
Since June 2025 certified examiners send your CDL medical certification to the state themselves. What you no longer do, and what still falls on you.
5 min read
Medical & health
Vision and hearing standards for CDL drivers
The exact vision and hearing numbers in the federal rule, plus the alternative vision standard and the hearing exemption that let drivers below those numbers qualify.
5 min read
Medical & health
Sleep apnea and the CDL
There is no federal sleep apnea regulation for truck drivers. What the rules actually say, what is only non-binding guidance, and how examiners handle it.
5 min read
Medical & health
Driving with diabetes
How CDL drivers with diabetes get certified: the insulin-treated pathway that replaced the old exemption program, the MCSA-5870, and what the examiner checks.
5 min read
Medical & health
Blood pressure and your DOT card
The blood pressure tiers FMCSA guidance uses, how each one changes the length of your medical certificate, and why a reading over 180/110 stops the exam that day.
5 min read
Medical & health
What actually disqualifies you at the DOT physical
The short list of conditions that end a DOT physical outright, the much longer list that only delays it, and what documentation turns a no into a yes.
5 min read
Medical & health
DOT medical card: what they test and what disqualifies you
What a certified medical examiner checks at the DOT physical, the thirteen federal standards behind it, how long the card lasts, and which conditions only delay you.
6 min read