The United States is a nation that relies on trucks to deliver goods on the nearly 4.2 million miles of roadway that stretch from coast to coast. And all of the drivers who pilot these commercial rigs need to undergo a special physical required by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure their safety and the safety of the millions of others who use the highway system.
Recognizing the need for a one-stop clinic for the various physicals required for employment, sports, or school, the team at Forest Urgent Care, including Dr. Waiho Lum and Dr. Ping Wong, is certified and ready to go.
In this blog post, we dive into some great strategies for preparing for your DOT physical with us to make it go as quickly and smoothly as possible.
A great way to prepare for your DOT physical is to come armed with everything we might need for your medical history. This includes a list of:
If we’ve been your primary care provider, we should have all this information. If we aren’t, please get in touch with your primary care provider to gather this information in advance of your DOT physical.
Another important box to check before your DOT physical with us is to fill out the patient portion of the Medical Examination Report Form, MCSA-5875, which you can access here. If there are any questions or boxes that you don’t know how to answer, you can leave them blank and discuss it with us during your physical.
The DOT has a list of certain conditions that need to be monitored more closely if you want to drive commercial vehicles. Some examples include:
If you don’t meet the vision requirements, you need to submit a vision evaluation form at least annually, and we can help with this. In addition, please remember to bring any corrective lenses that you use with you to the physical.
If you’re taking insulin for type 2 diabetes, the DOT requires proof that you have a “stable insulin regimen and properly controlled diabetes.” This form can be found here.
This also means that you’ll need A1C testing. It’s often a good idea to get this done in advance of your DOT physical, and we can set that up.
Other than gathering information and getting certain tests done in advance, there are some other tips to prepare for your DOT physical with us.
To start, it’s a good idea not to drink caffeine before your physical, which can alter results. However, we do want you to drink liquids — water is best — so you can provide a urine sample if we need to do a urinalysis. We also recommend that you wear comfortable clothes as we need to take some vitals and assess your gait.
With a little preparation in advance, we’re confident that we can get your DOT physical done quickly so that you can get back out on the roads.
If you have more questions about preparing for your DOT physical or you’d like to schedule an exam with us, call us at 718-268-6808 or walk into our clinic in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, during our hours of operation — 8am to 7pm on weekdays and 10am to 5pm on weekends. If you’d prefer, you can call ahead to schedule an appointment.
