DOT Physical BEFORE Permit?

Topic 1220 | Page 1

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Philip F.'s Comment
member avatar

Quick question: Do I need to get a physical BEFORE I can apply for the permit? I figured you just had to do it before you got your license, but now after looking at Indiana's CDL manual I'm not so sure.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Tim L.'s Comment
member avatar

Quick question: Do I need to get a physical BEFORE I can apply for the permit? I figured you just had to do it before you got your license, but now after looking at Indiana's CDL manual I'm not so sure.

Yes, you must take a DOT physical first before you can take the CDL permit exams. In fact, you may want to check with the companies recruiters your interested in before you take the physical. For instance, Swift wanted me to take the physical at a clinic that they approved of before taking the permit exams. However, FFE, the company I ended up choosing and whose academy I will be attending, gives the physical the first day of training, then you go test for the permits on the fourth day if I recall correctly.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

Charles S.'s Comment
member avatar

Here in Arizona you need to have your physical before they will let you get your permit. Call your local DMV/MVD and ask to be sure thou. Whatever school your voting through should also be able to tell you.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

DMV:

Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles

The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.

Britton R.'s Comment
member avatar

In Missouri I took my permit tests without a physical. I went in, told them I needed to take the cdl permit tests and endorsements and that was that. No physical was mentioned. When I left they gave me paperwork that shows my test scores. I will take that to Prime next week and they will do the physical.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Unfortunately every state has the ability to set their own regulations so you're best off contacting the Department of Motor Vehicles to find out for sure.

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