Medical Card And Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate

Hello everyone... This a GREAT site, i have picked up so much information from here.

I'm interested in going to Prime Inc CDL training school. Now my plan was to get my CDL permit in my home state because i know i will have to get a skill performance evaluation certificate because my left hand has "claw hand" from nerve damage 9 years ago. I have read in another post that prime can't transfer out of state permits anymore (bummer).. I don't want to go there and then be sent home because of it.

I became a Taxi driver 3 years ago to show that my hand would not be an issue for driving, but found out after doing some research recently that the dot physical cant use your driving record for the decision.

My question: Is there a way for me to find out if this will disqualify me.. I can have a DOT physical done here in PA, but they will have to do another one when i get to school correct?

Another question I have is if i get a sleep study and get a c-pap machine before going i shouldn't have to go through the process again or will I?

I have been studying my PA CDL manual and The High Road Online CDL Training Program Since i have joined this site. This program has made studying so much easier... Again GREAT job on this site!!!!!!!!!!

Prime will do their own physical. The one part of that physical involved testing your grip strength using a piece of equipment you hold in each hand and then squeeze, it reads your strength in psi. It'll be up to their doctor to determine whether or not you'll need the certificate, hopefully you won't. Now, if you do need it and you know your hand better than anyone, I'd go ahead and get the packet started ahead of time. Don't bother along the Prime recruiter if you'll need it or not because they honestly don't know and their job is to bring in new students. They will probably tell you not to worry about it, they do them all the time and it won't be a problem. Again, ignore them lol. SPE certificates are not all that common and they have to be done in a certain way that takes time and involves a packet of paperwork that's fairly extensive. If you think you're probably going to need it, I would go ahead and start on it now. If you Google FMCSA SPE certificate, you'll get the link to that portion of the website, figure out what region you fall under and then call the 800 number. They will email you the packet to be filled out. You'll also need to see an Orthopedic surgeon and have a consult done and paperwork they have to sign off on, do this before going to school because it'll take making an appointment and the process is long enough already without having to add any more time to it. There's also forms to be filled out by Prime and by yourself.

Once you have the packet completed (don't miss anything) you'll fax it back in. Once they have their medical department look it over, they will issue your training certificate. You have to have that certificate along with your permit to train. Once you've trained enough that you're confident you can pass your pre trip, skills and driving exam, you'll have to arrange another appointment to be tested by a DOT SPE certified examiner. That examiner will have your information and you'll take the training certificate with you. At that point, you'll take the entire test, which includes the driving portion being done twice. After you pass, the examiner will send those results back to FMCSA and they will then issue the actual certificate. You'll have to wait to take your actual CDL exam until you have received the certificate, it will accompany you along with your medical card and license for as long as you hold a commercial license. The certificate also has to be re certified every two years but isn't as extensive as the initial run, it's only filling out a few follow up forms.

Yep, it's a pain and it can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks to process before you can actually test out for your CDL, that's why I say you might want to get a jump on it in advance.

I have been looking over that application packet for new driver (downloaded from FMCSA https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/spe-certificate-package.pdf) one of the questions under: Medical Examination Report FOR COMMERCIAL DRIVER FITNESS DETERMINATION 649-F (6045 under section 2. HEALTH HISTORY Driver completes this section, but medical examiner is encouraged to discuss with driver. Missing or impaired hand, arm, foot, leg, finger, toe must check the yes or no box,

I have high blood pressure and im on 2 medications but every dr visit i have been i've given good reading, well within normal conditions, I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea before but didn't really use the c-pap machine so i had to return it against medical advice because insurance wouldn't pay for a machine not being used ( i know stupid decision on my part, but i was never home to use it)

So Im pretty sure i would need a SPE certificate

I would like to find out if i would be able to pass everything before i leave my job to goto a school and find out they wont train me.. and also how to go about doing it

I'm pretty sure nobody can answer this because i dont think anybody is a dot certified medical examiner but i would like to hope somebody has an idea of what options i have and what routes i can take to figure this out, I know that i have a firm grip on the steering wheel, can turn headlights on, use turn signals in a taxi (I know a taxi is different then a rig, and i know a dr cant use my driving record for their decision,)

I havent found one thing that I cant do because of my hand, just had to figure a different way of doing it, ie: typing this letter on my laptop, i only use my left thumb to type the left side of the keyboard, hanging a picture on the wall i use pliers to hold the nail, its tedious things i have a problem with, the small items is where i have to figure out what to do n how to do it

James, Concentra is an authorized DOT Exam provider. Swift uses them to provide Medical Cards for students attending their schools. My suggestion is to call them and see if they can help you and offer medical advice. Here is the address of their location in Pottsville.

Concentra Urgent Care 4201 Pottsville Pike Pottsville PA (610) 921-5811 Open until 5:00 PM

The only problem with calling a place like Concentra is that they might say one thing and Prime's /Schneider/ Knight/ Swift doctor might determine differently. It's literally up to the doctors discretion in that regard. I already had a medical card before I went to Knight and had in fact just renewed it a few months before starting there. The Chiropractor that Knight in Indianapolis used decided in his opinion that I needed one and checked the box.

His best bet would be to talk with the physicians that Prime uses and possibly even send them any medical documents relating to his impairment and see what they would say well in advance. If he can get a yes or no, he could get started on processing the paperwork before he gets there which will save time. If he has to have the certificate, he legally cannot train or drive a commercial vehicle on the road until he has the training certificate. If he did and has an accident, he and Prime will be held liable and he would possibly never get a CDL.

The only problem with calling a place like Concentra is that they might say one thing and Prime's /Schneider/ Knight/ Swift doctor might determine differently. It's literally up to the doctors discretion in that regard. I already had a medical card before I went to Knight and had in fact just renewed it a few months before starting there. The Chiropractor that Knight in Indianapolis used decided in his opinion that I needed one and checked the box.

His best bet would be to talk with the physicians that Prime uses and possibly even send them any medical documents relating to his impairment and see what they would say well in advance. If he can get a yes or no, he could get started on processing the paperwork before he gets there which will save time. If he has to have the certificate, he legally cannot train or drive a commercial vehicle on the road until he has the training certificate. If he did and has an accident, he and Prime will be held liable and he would possibly never get a CDL.

Understood but at least for Swift his company physical would be with concentra. They are authorized as one of their exam providers

Ok thank you both for the replies... This I what I was looking for.... I hadn't thought of that... At least not yet anyway.... Like I said my "plan" was to get my permit here in PA even though I knew I would be going through the process again at prime but would have felt little more at ease knowing I was able to in my home state... not that would be part of the decision because like robert said, its up to what that dr decides, and i will not take no as an answer, i will figure another way to make this possible until i run out of options, and even then try to figure something out.. i am set on making a career out of trucking,

I have no doubt that you'll get it all sorted out and earn your CDL. Having to have the certificate isn't that big of a deal, it's just extra paperwork and the time involved in the process, along with the fact that the FMCSA website doesn't give much guidance into a step by step instruction of how the process works. I understand what GTown was saying in regards to Swift using Concentra but Concentra has more than 1 Dr on hand doing physicals and it's literally at the docs discretion as to if you're required to have one or not. With less than 1% of drivers actually having the certificate, there's not much info out there to learn from and most companies have never had to deal with it. I think even the website mentions on there that only 3500 or so (can't remember honestly) SPE certificates have been issued. Given the millions of CDL holders, we're a rare breed lol.

Also, since you'll be dealing with the location in Matteson Illinois, the woman who processes the paperwork is named Leslie. Unless she's left and been replaced, she is the only person who processes the packets.

I have no doubt that you'll get it all sorted out and earn your CDL. Having to have the certificate isn't that big of a deal, it's just extra paperwork and the time involved in the process, along with the fact that the FMCSA website doesn't give much guidance into a step by step instruction of how the process works. I understand what GTown was saying in regards to Swift using Concentra but Concentra has more than 1 Dr on hand doing physicals and it's literally at the docs discretion as to if you're required to have one or not. With less than 1% of drivers actually having the certificate, there's not much info out there to learn from and most companies have never had to deal with it. I think even the website mentions on there that only 3500 or so (can't remember honestly) SPE certificates have been issued. Given the millions of CDL holders, we're a rare breed lol.

yes you are correct on the number and no there isn't much information on how to go about it...