Have you ever performed a DOT physical?  If not, you should seriously consider getting started in this avenue of practice. Why?  Well, first they are easy to perform. A DOT physical basically consists of a physical examination form and a driver’s certificate. The entire form is downloadable from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in a PDF format.  That download includes the examination form and a drivers certificate.

If you are an MD, DC, DO, APN or PA, you are currently qualified. Despite information you may have heard otherwise, there is NO CERTIFICATION at this time to perform these examinations.  Performing one of these examinations is as easy as downloading the form, following it through and signing the driver's certificate with a expiration date. That is all there is to it for a little while longer. I suppose you want to know what I mean by a little while longer. I would be happy to explain.

Changes are coming quickly. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has recently been instructed to develop training requirements and a written examination for all potential examiners.  It is estimated that in 2008 or 2009, new requirements will be enacted. The five categories of examiners will be required to pass an examination to be able to perform these essential and required examinations for an estimated 7 million drivers. The “Registry” as it is called, is officially known as the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.  It is ESTIMATED that a certificate will be good for five years.

Unofficial information states that the training can be offered online and the examination will be offered within a certain radius of all examiners. You see, the FMCSA is quite worried that a lot of examiners will just not get certified because of the hassle. They estimate the pool right now is around 200,000 examiners for some 7 million drivers. When the NRCME is enacted, they anticipate the examiner pool to DROP to around 50,000 examiners…. But the number of truckers is predicted to continue increasing.  Supply and demand dictates that more than likely, the price of a DOT physical will increase during the next 5 years.

The fortunate things about these physicals are that they are usually paid by the driver or the trucking company.  An examiner should NEVER accept insurance payment for a DOT physical.  You may not get paid. Instead, prearranged invoices with the company or a cash payment from the driver ensures that the doctor can rely on a flow of cash income from a very straightforward examination.

If you have been doing these exams, great. Keep up the good work and tune into this website FREQUENTLY for updates.  I am in the drafts of a training program for the NRCME which I hope to have ready as soon as the requirements are made available. The initial idea is an online training video with chapter quizzes and a final exam. This should help the NRCME candidate substantially with obtaining his or her NRCME certification.

If you have not done a DOT physical, start NOW. I developed a video that shows you how to perform an examination, fill out the paper work and the driver’s certificate.  Simple. About 2 hours worth of video on a rainy Saturday afternoon and you are ready.

Included in the instantly downloadable video are PDF documents to include:  The current DOT regulations, an examination form with driver’s certificate that you are free to copy, easy to follow hypertension guidelines and common cardiac problems you may run across and how to apply the regulations to that specific situation.  Click here to order the video.

Please continue to monitor this website. If you sign up for a free membership, you will receive my 10 audio files entitled, “ The 10 Secrets to Making Money In Your DOT Clinic”  plus you will be on my mailing list and I will let you know when the changes are finalized. In the meantime, begin doing these physicals, TODAY!!