New York CDL Requirements
All New York CDL holders are required to be medically qualified to drive a CMV by the means of a valid DOT medical certificate, unless the type of commerce you drive qualifies as ‘Excepted’.
Interstate Non-Excepted
You must meet the Federal DOT medical certificate requirements.
Intrastate Non-Excepted
You must meet the Federal DOT medical certificate requirements.
Self Certification in the State of New York
The DMV will mail a Self-Certification Notification letter to all NYS CDL holders. Drivers must select their driving type on the letter and, if that driving type requires, submit a photocopy of their valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate.
Important:
- The notification process will start in the summer of 2013.
- The letters will be mailed over a five-month period in numerical order by the DMV Client ID number (CID). The scheduled mailing dates are now available on the NYS DMV website. The schedule may change, and you can check back for updates. At this time, you cannot request that a Self-Certification letter be printed for you.
- Each letter will be bar coded with unique information to identify the driver. You cannot use a photocopy of the Self-Certification letter sent to another driver.
Submitting your Self-Certification and Medical Certificate to New York DMV
Submit the following two documents:
- Completed Self-Certification Notification letter (the one mailed by DMV to you).
- Photocopy of your valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate. Enlarge the copy to ensure legibility, and copy on one side of a standard 8½” x 11″ sheet of paper.
Note: Incomplete, inaccurate, illegible or unsigned documents will be rejected and returned.
By Mail:
NYSDMV
6 Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12228
Note: You cannot visit a DMV office only to return the Self-Certification Notification Letter. DMV offices are unable to process a Self-Certification transaction. You must return the letter by mail in the return envelope provided.
Keep your Medical Certificate current with NYS DMV
You must renew your medical card before the expiration date.
Your renewed Medical Examiner’s Certificate must be received and processed prior to the expiration of the Medical Examiner’s Certificate on file to avoid loss of your commercial driving privilege. You should allow at least two weeks for processing your updated certificate.
Mail a copy of your new, valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate (medical card only, not the long form) to NYS DMV.
By Mail:
NYS Department of Motor Vehicles
Medical Certification Unit
PO Box 2601
Albany, NY 12228-0601
The DMV will not remind you when your Medical Examiner’s Certificate is about to expire.
If you fail to maintain current, updated information with the DMV, you will lose your commercial driving privileges.
Other Information:
Website: New York State DMV – official website
NYS DMV CDL changes to medical certification
Special Information Updates Pertaining To ALL STATES
The deadline for Commercial Driver Self-Certification is still January 30, 2014.
This is the deadline date for commercial drivers to have filed documents with their State Driver Licensing Agency (SDLA):
- Your self-certification affidavit declaring which commercial category you drive.
- Depending on the category you certify – A copy of your current medical card (and any applicable variance documents).
Drivers who have not completed this requirement by the deadline will be downgraded to non-commercial, Class D privileges only.
Drivers, you still need to carry a paper copy of your medical card, until 2015.
The reason for SDLAs collecting this information is so that it will be stored in the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) online database. Once this process is complete, drivers will no longer have to carry a paper copy of their medical card.
SDLAs are behind in setting up this database, and on January 10, 2014, FMCSA pushed the State Agencies reporting deadline to January 30, 2015.
Important Notes For Commercial Drivers:
This does not change your self-certification deadline. You must still get your documents in by January 30, 2014.
You still need to carry a paper copy of your medical card, until 2015.
Your Feedback Is Welcome
Dealing with Federal DOT Regulations across the board is tough enough!
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NO ANSWER PHONE BUSY ALL TIME
I MAIL IT IN REG MAIL ARTICLE NUMBER 70103090 0000 6389 8170 AND FAX IT. NO ANSWER ,PHONE ALWAYS BUSY.
This process does not make good business sense. CDL operators send there information in to one place and only a handful of personnel are there to process the information. I submitted my DOT medical over a month ago and it still hasn’t been processed. CDL carriers should be able to log into a website and upload there medical into a database and receive a confirmation that it has been received. Or go to there local DMV to have it processed. I know you are outsourcing this process as well. So help create jobs. have each local DMV outsource it to a local business. so instead of one vendor processing 100′s of thousands of medicals, you have hundreds of vendors processing the medicals from local DMV’s. would be a smoother process and at the same time NY would be helping the economy with jobs.
I am tired of dot I am turning my license in I have had enough with all the laws
@ Mark
I guess if you don’t like the rules of the game, then it’s time to leave. Good Luck in any new endeavors.
My dot medical expired jan 15 2014. As of now im downgraded. Can I still take the exam without paying a fine
These are two different things. Yes you can take a DOT physical examination, no fines. But you may have to pay to have your cdl reinstated.
Who, as in what class vehicles are required to have a medical card. For example a company service truck licensed for 16,000lbs.
Thanks Mike
I went for a dot phisical and at the DR. Said looks good then said I failed because my neck is larger then 17 inches and said I have to take a sleep apnea test to see if I have this disorder witch cost a lot of money is this a new Law??
@Clayton
No. There are examining doctors that have not watched the rules closely.
If you have high blood pressure, and are on medications and are a diabetic and you’re fat and out of shape, then maybe. But if everything else is normal, then your examiner is behind the times on a ruling that has been overturned.
Where can I get a full list of the requirements for dot physical I failed because of my neck size being a 20.5 and a bmi over 35 I am in good health and go to the gym regularly jus a big boy weighing in at 315 , 6 ft 2
@Tim
There is no DOT BMI or Neck Measurement chart/requirement issued by the FMCSA or DOT.
Download our DOT Physical Exam Guidebook for an overview of the requirements.
See FAQ on sleep disorders – to get more answers about BMI, neck size, etc.
I miss placed my letter is there a way to get another copy?
How do I know the DMV received my returned signed letter and mailed medical examiners certificate? Is there a way to check to see if it in fact has been received and processed?
I also have the same question as Ron. The self certification letter indicated that an enclosed envelope was sent along with it, but I didn’t get that envelope for some reason. Any of you happen to know to which exact address it’s supposed to be mailed to? Thanks for the help.
is a copy good to keep with me how do iknow iam all good and everything is correct with my licence and i need to get a copy of a blank certificate to give my doctor for new a cert