Can any doctor do a DOT physical?
I had a good question from a customer today. Can any doctor do a DOT physical, or can only specially “DOT-certified” doctors do the examination? Presently, any doctor can do the DOT physical. However, the doctor needs to be familiar with the guidelines of the examination. For example, a driver must have 20/40 vision in each eye to pass. He must have 140/90 blood pressure or better. Some doctors do the exam, but are unaware of this, and qualify drivers with blood pressure over 140/90. The instructions are on the examination form, but very few doctors are going to take the time to read that, I would imagine.
You should ask whether your doctor is familiar with the DOT physical procedures before you make the appointment. DOT has been making noise about setting up yet another regulatory-bureaucracy which will qualify doctors to conduct the exams. For now, though, any doctor can do the exam, provided they follow the guidelines found on the examination form.
