Do I Need My Medical Card First?
Topic 17754 | Page 1
In Kentucky you do. Not sure about elsewhere, butv thinking you do. No since in having a permit uf you can't medically qualify.
Matt you must prove you are medically qualified before any state will issue a CDL permit. For a CDL A, the acceptable proof is a medical card.
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.
Matt you must prove you are medically qualified before any state will issue a CDL permit. For a CDL A, the acceptable proof is a medical card.
I believe that the nationwide implementation has been completed. You are required to have a medical card in order to obtain a permit, or to keep your CDL in an active status, unless you fall into one of the exempt categories. And your local DMV will scan it and keep it on file.
You are also required to make an election, at DMV for which category you are in. Intrastate exempt/non-exempt or Interstate exempt/non-exempt.
OTR truck drivers are going to be INTERSTATE NON-EXEMPT.
If you happen to actually fall into one of the exempt categories, you are not required to have a current medical card on file.
I also like to remind people, when you get a new medical card, or renew your card, to remember to get a copy to your state DMV. If you let your medical card on file with them expire, your CDL will automatically be downgraded to a regular operators license, the day your medical certification expires. If you forget, and don't get the notice that your license has been downgraded and get pulled over - you are technically "operating a commercial vehicle without a CDL" otherwise known as DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE .
Florida DMV (for example), allows you to upload a picture or scan of your medical certification, on their website. You will get a notification within a couple of days via email, that your certification has been excepted and your record has been updated to reflect that.
Rick
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.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Intrastate:
The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.
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.
And to correct myself - before someone else gets around to it (I was in my car when I made the previous post) - the term isn't EXEMPT, but EXCEPTED.
So it's one of 4 choices you have to make when you "self-declare" (certify) at your DMV.
Interstate Excepted Interstate Non-Excepted Intrastate Excepted Intrastate Non-Excepted
The "excepted" part pertains to whether the type of driving you are going to be doing, grants you an EXCEPTION from having a DOT Med Card.
OTR drivers are going to be INTERSTATE NON-EXCEPTED - because we cross state lines. If you drive IN STATE and have to cross a state line even though your run begins and ends in the state (as in no out of state stops) - you still have to declare INTERSTATE.
So if you are getting a CLP to go to company sponsored training - you are going to need a Med Card and declare Interstate Non-Exempt.
Check the other EXCEPTIONS on the FMCSA FAQ I linked to - but pretty much 99% of the folks on this board - are going to need one.
Rick
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Commercial Motor Vehicle:
A commercial motor vehicle is any vehicle used in commerce to transport passengers or property with either:
- A gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more
- A gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more which includes a towed unit with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
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.
CMV:
Commercial Motor Vehicle
A CMV is a vehicle that is used as part of a business, is involved in interstate commerce, and may fit any of these descriptions:
- Weighs 10,001 pounds or more
- Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more
- Is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) not for compensation
- Is designed or used to transport 9 or more passengers (including the driver) for compensation
- Is transporting hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placards
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Intrastate:
The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.
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.Fm:
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.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
CLP:
Commercial Learner's Permit
Before getting their CDL, commercial drivers will receive their commercial learner's permit (CLP) upon passing the written portion of the CDL exam. They will not have to retake the written exam to get their CDL.
And to correct myself - before someone else gets around to it (I was in my car when I made the previous post) - the term isn't EXEMPT, but EXCEPTED.
DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE! Except when you are EXEMPTED!
Thanks for the quick responses I'm headed to get my medical card tomorrow than hopefully my permit next Saturday!
And to correct myself - before someone else gets around to it (I was in my car when I made the previous post) - the term isn't EXEMPT, but EXCEPTED.
DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE! Except when you are EXEMPTED!
Hahahaha I second that!
I was sitting in a parking lot - not driving.
Give me a ration of crap for trying to be accurate now - eh?
But it's easier to do my "due diligence research" on dual 27" screens - than on an iPhone 7+.
I have a bag of marbles for folks that text and drive (I did NOT SAY THAT).
Rick
Give me a ration of crap for trying to be accurate now - eh?
Easy Tiger! We love and appreciate your Due Diligence.
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Do I need my medical card to get my permit?