Modern life would come to a halt without people driving commercial vehicles for a variety of different industries, from transporting hazardous materials to large-capacity passenger trucks and buses. Having professional, competent, and healthy drivers to perform these jobs is important to everyone’s safety, so testing to determine readiness is crucial.
This is where the Department of Transportation (DOT) physical exam comes in, to ensure the drivers on the road are both physically fit and mentally capable of doing this safely and responsibly. If you’re trying for the first time or coming in for a renewal, you should also know what to do if, for some reason, you fail the physical.
Dr. Corey Skinner and our Action Chiropractic Dallas team are here to ensure Dallas, Texas, residents can complete their DOT physicals, understand their results, and review next steps if the tests come back unfavorably.
You have to obtain a commercial driver’s license if you’re expected to drive a vehicle that either carries more than 15 people, gets paid to carry more than eight people, carries hazardous materials that require a placard, or one with a gross weight of 5 tons or more. And to get that license, you have to go through the DOT physical.
The screenings and tests determine whether you can routinely perform the responsibilities of the job while maintaining proper mental, emotional, and physical health, without posing a danger to the public, your passengers, cargo, or yourself.
To obtain your commercial license, you must successfully undergo these exams:
We’ll also need to get your medical history and go over the medications you’re currently taking. Other tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), may be done as needed.
Untreated medical problems often lead to negative results from DOT physicals, with conditions like high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) frequently being the cause and leading to issues that affect both your overall health and performance on the road. Other common reasons include uncorrected hearing or vision problems that affect how you drive.
If the results come back negative for getting or renewing your license, we’ll carefully review with you what caused it and what needs to be corrected to prevent it from happening again. Keep all the necessary medical records, address the issues in question, and make plans with your employer to repeat the test.
Getting treatment for chronic conditions, obtaining corrective glasses or hearing aids, and other changes can help ensure you don’t have a repeat failure on your follow-up DOT physical. For more information on how to deal with not passing this physical, make an appointment online or by phone with Dr. Skinner and Action Chiropractic Dallas today.
