DOT Or Company Colorblind Test. What To Expect.

Howdy folks. I'm feeling a little foolish right now.

For the past 6 months or so, I've discussed, debated, and prepared for a career change into trucking. I've studied and read TT and the High Road Training Program for COUNTLESS hours.

Somehow, it never dawned on me to consider how being colorblind would affect my plans. Having lived with it for all of my 46 years, it's just something that rarely enters my mind. Color has never been a factor in my driving experiences.

A DOT physical didn't concern me either, since I've had the good fortune of being healthy practically my whole life.

So I went to my doctor yesterday to get a DOT physical. Imagine my shock when he pulled out this book with the little colored circle/dots thingy. I failed at those miserably, as I would have expected. I'm embarrassed to say I had no clue a color test was part of it.

Luckily, after I failed the dots, he began pointing to several items in the exam room and asked what color they were. I was able to get those correct, but they were very basic blue, green, red, etc.

In the end, he passed me. But I can't help but wonder now if he just went easy on me since he's been my doc for a long time. Would a company doc be as lenient?

So my real question is this: How was your color test conducted? Was it the dots? Was it random items? Was it a selection of a few colors?

I hoping to get a feel for what different companies do. I can distinguish basic colors, and traffic signals aren't an issue. But I hate the fact that a simple color test can now undo what I've worked and hoped for. Thanks for any imput

When I did the company physical it was a stop light but the colors were rearranged.

Have you checked out our wiki page on DOT Eye & Vision Exam Requirements???

You will find some helpful information there.

Have you checked out our wiki page on DOT Eye & Vision Exam Requirements???

You will find some helpful information there.

Excerpt from the wiki page:

The color vision requirement is met by the ability to recognize and distinguish among red, amber, and green, the standard colors of traffic control signals and devices. True color perception is not required.

Thanks, and yes I'm now aware of the requirements. But the requirements would lead me to believe there is one standardized test.

So I'm wondering how individual companies conduct the test. If it's the "dots", then I'm probably screwed. Those things just baffle me!

The clinic that did my first exam used the Snellen chart. It has green (top) and red (bottom) bars. I could tell the difference, I passed the color test.

Trivia note: many traffic lights use a green-blue filter, so there is color for red-green color blind to see.

Not all companies, but most use Concentra Urgent Care centers to perform their DOT physicals.. (With the exception of a few that have on site docs) Most of the eye exam is the line reading and then they have 5 colors above a door; Red, Gree, Blue, Yellow and one other I forget..... they are your pretty basic colors though. I myself am partially color defiant in both eyes and see different shades..

I'll just have to hope I get a basic colors test. That I can handle.