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North Carolina CDL Requirements
No later than January 30, 2014, all CDL holders must provide information to the North Carolina DMV regarding the type of commercial motor vehicle operation they drive or expect to drive.
Drivers operating in non-excepted types of commerce will be required to submit a current DOT medical examiner’s certificate to the NC DMV to obtain a “certified” medical status as part of their driving record.
If you do not provide NC DMV with your self-certification and if required, your medical examiner’s certificate and any required variance document by January 30, 2014 – NC DMV will notify you that you are no longer medically certified to operate a CMV in non- excepted interstate/non-excepted intrastate commerce. You will have 30 days to respond or your entire NC driving privileges will be cancelled.
Interstate Non-Excepted
You must meet the Federal DOT medical certificate requirements.
Intrastate Non-Excepted
You must meet the Federal DOT medical certificate requirements.
Submit your Self-Certification and Medical Certificate to North Carolina DMV
You are required to self-certify to a single type of commercial operation on your driver license. If you self-certify to non-excepted interstate or non-excepted intrastate, you must provide NC DMV with a copy of your current DOT medical examiner’s certificate and any applicable variance document.
Submit the following two documents:
- North Carolina Certification for CDL – download the form CDL-5 here from NC DMV.
- A copy of your valid DOT medical certificate. Enlarge the copy to ensure that all information is legible.
By Mail:
NC Division of Motor Vehicles
CDL Medical Certification Unit
3126 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-3126
By Fax:
919-861-3915
By Email:
You may scan the documents (PDF) and email the attachments to cdlmedical@ncdot.gov. You should receive a confirmation email.
Keep Your Medical Card Current With North Carolina DMV
CDL holders required to have a ”certified” medical status who fail to provide and keep up-to-date their DOT medical examiner’s certificate with the NC DMV will become ”not-certified” and may lose their CDL.
If your medical card or variance expires and you do not provide NC DMV with a new one, the DMV will notify you that you are no longer medically certified to operate a CMV in non- excepted interstate/non-excepted intrastate commerce. You will have 30 days to respond or your entire NC driving privileges will be cancelled.
Before your medical card expires, you must have a new medical examination and obtain a new DOT medical examiner’s certificate.
Submit your renewed valid medical certificate to North Carolina DMV:
By Mail:
NC Division of Motor Vehicles
CDL Medical Certification Unit
3126 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-3126
By Fax:
919-861-3915
Other Information:
NCDOT new medical certification requirements guide
Phone: 919-861-3525
Special Information Updates Pertaining To ALL STATES
MEDICAL EXAMINERS MUST CONTINUE TO ISSUE MEDICAL CERTIFICATES TO ALL DRIVERS
The FMCSA has requested that all medical examiners continue providing drivers with a paper copy of the Medical Examiner’s Certificate – Form MCSA-5876, so that Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holders can provide a copy to the State licensing agency, and the non-CDL drivers can provide the documentation to their employers and Federal and State enforcement officials.
The Agency is currently completing efforts to put into place an electronic system to enable medical examiners to transmit the medical certificate information from the National Registry system to the State licensing agencies.
Until that system is completed, which compliance date according FMCSA is June 23, 2025, medical examiners must continue to issue paper copies of the medical certificates to drivers who pass the medical exam.
ALL DRIVERS MUST CONTINUE TO CARRY A PAPER COPY OF THEIR MEDICAL CERTIFICATE
Commercial Drivers – You still need to carry a paper copy of your medical card, until FMCSA announces that this is no longer necessary.
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Hi I’m billy m (personal details edited by admin) my question is how do I get a federal wavior that give me a ok to go over state line of northCarolina I have my cdl permit but it’s got a restricted K on it only for nc I have a job waiting for me to start on site and there willing to train on the job skill test train it’s bin held in Asheboro nc after my training and getting my cdl license I can start with them there call pam trucking industry out of indianapolis Indiana this is the reason I went through all the test for is to drive I have a state wavior holding me back just be cause of my right lazy eye I have all my medical records I did all my field vision test and earn my cdl permit so how can I get this restricted K lifted off me so I can make a living in the trucking beusness world can I get info for this sent toe please do I need to get dot med card I have my dot phisical certificate and all my papers please respond thank you
I just was diagnosed with diabetes and I have a Class b in NC. How long does it take for DOT to contact me concerning this diagnosis. But i am not on Insulin. do I contact them?
@Bus Driver
DOT is not going to contact you. Your diagnosis invalidates your present medical certificate. You will need to be on your medications for at least 30 days to make sure the condition is under control and is not presenting any ill side effects. After that time frame you can get a new medical certificate. Since you are not on insulin, your medical cards will be good for one year at the time, so the examiner can confirm that you are keeping your condition under control. You will also need a medical release form from your doctor each time you go for a new medical certificate.
The employee with our company that is supposed to take care of all State D.O.T and D.M.V. related matters failed to submit a copy of my new medical card. The state revoked or suspended my license. I did not know this until my insurance agent called me. I went to the driver’s license office in Fayetteville yesterday and one of the examiners sent a copy of my driver’s license, my up to date medical card and the form that I had to fill out to be submitted with the other items to the DMV in Raleigh. I waited for about half a hour and the examiner told me that everything was good and that my license was reinstated. My insurance agent was calling me again today telling me that my license was still revoked. How long does it take with all of the modern technology that we have today to process information?
It is so frustrating to try to deal with people that do not speak English when you are already frustrated about a very serious problem. I have never had to deal with Lexus-Nexus (not sure if that is correct) but I was so frustrated trying to get information from a state agency through someone who could not speak English good enough for me to understand. Why in the world do we as taxpayers have to get information from someone who can not speak English?
Just had a Blazen surgery on my heart are their time requirements before I can come back to work with any heart procedure I live in north Carolina
@David
Post surgery and fully recovered, you have a thirty day wait and must be symptom free. Make sure you have a medical release form from your doctor before you go for your new medical certificate. You card will now be limited to one year at the time due to the procedure.
Hi I just went and took my physical I passed everything one issue that was a concern was my left arm being half paralyzed I got full function in forearm but can’t raise arm above my head the doctor wants me to take a SPE. Question I have what do I do now? What are my chances of getting my cdl?
@Justin
You should do fine. The SPE is really designed to determine if the present limitation is a safety issue. If you can perform all the duties of a CMV operator, then you would pass, so go for it. Good Luck
What are the duties tho I am new to this?
I have a question….
The DOT guidelines state that “until the program is fully implemented, drivers will still have to carry a paper copy of their DOT medical examiner’s certificate”. Medical examiners in my area have quit issuing wallet sized cards and are only issuing 8.5 x11 size paper copies.
My question is, do drivers with CDL have to carry a big piece of paper or has the program been fully implemented?
@Jill
Yes, the proposed date for full implementation is sometime in 2018.
When the MEC forms changed, the rules for not changing the form made it nigh impossible to reduce the size of the MEC to wallet size. So now drivers are carrying a big piece of paper!
You still have to carry it. The doctor will tell you when ypu do not have to carry one no more
I am a driver with that needs to get a confirmation from nc saying that they have received my email with the medical certifications, I’m held up in California waiting for confirmation, please help , if you can.
@Gary
Sorry, we can’t help you as we are not affiliated with, or endorsed by FMCSA or any government or state agency.
Not sure why you are held up in CA unless NC has canceled your driving privileges.
Your only avenue is to contact your drivers license department in NC. You should have your medical card and a copy of the long form with you at all times. This will help you get reinstated with NC as well as satisfy CA.
NC DOT took forever to “receive” my husband’s ever since this began. We are currently driving to Raleigh in hopes that it doesn’t take a month the way it did the first time he did this.
My husband drives a flatbed truck state to state, he received a letter from the DMV regarding the intrastate and interstate license. He wanted to know which one does he select if he drives state to state. He has a current medical examiners certificate.
@Marvin
Select “Non-Excepted Interstate”.
When I ran my drivers license number it says status….. disqualified…… certification sent…… can I still drive a car or truck…. just not CMV?……. status doesn’t say revoked or suspended, just disqualified
Can i laminate my medical card in North carolina?
@Robbie
As long as all data on the card remains legible.
My cdl permit expires next week and this is the second one in a year..& I just finally got approved for a4 week course….can I get an expiration extension?
@Tiffany
Call you local drivers license department. Only they can answer this question for you.
In N.C., is there anytime one can drive with c.d.l.’s -without a healthcard legally?
@Andy
Only if your type of driving falls under “Excepted” status. Check with your local drivers license department.
If my CDL’s have been disqualified because of not renewing my med card. Can I just go to my local DMV office and get a standard C class license? CDL is no longer needed. If not what is the process?
@Scott
Most likely that is the process, but each state has their own process so contact your local drivers license department to be sure.
hello im currently on dialysis and in need of a dot physical just wondering do they still do it for people on dialysis
@Devois
Interstate class A, No.
Intra-state with your state drivers license department may be OK. Just check with your local DLD to make the final determination.
Thanks appreciate it
I have an employee who has a valid NC CDL Drivers License. He is temporaraly in my state of Indiana. He does not want to change his state status at this time because he my be going back to NC in a few months. My question is can he renew his DOT Physical Certificate in the state of Indiana?
@ Cindy
Yes, the medical certificate is attached to the drivers license no matter what state they are from, because it is a federal medical certificate.
Can anyone tell me the email where I can photo copy my new medical card to before Thursday the 16 of Feb 2017
My husband has type 2 diabetes. And is now having to take insulin to keep it controlled. What does he need to do to keep his cdl class A license to drive intrastate only.
@Johna
Check with your state driver license department. He will still need a medical certificate, but the state will, most likely, be the ones who will issue his insulin waiver so that he can drive intra-state. Good Luck.
My cdl was disqualified because SAP said I failed a drug screen but when I tell them how that possible because I took 2 test the same week for 2 different companies.how can I get my cdl back
@Shon B
What SAP?
If you were tested by a company doing a drug screen for pre-employment, then you should have had a call from the MRO asking questions. So something isn’t right here.
I am an employer of truck drivers. only need cdl to test drive trucks after repair or to sometimes drive a truck back to my shop after road repair. usually within 25-30 miles of shop. can there not be a cdl that could be limited to this environment? have had minor heart issues am under heart doctor care. having a stress test each year is not necessary each year being under doctor care and the amount of driving I do usually under 50 miles/year. could some type of mechanic cdl be created to avoid costly medical exams requiring test like stress test. something like a mechanics cdl limited to minimal miles thanks gary
@Gary
Part of this question should be posed to the FMCSA, it’s a legitimate question.
The other part may be to check with your state drivers license department to see if driving intra-state only would be helpful.
And lastly, you should need a stress test only every two (2) years, not every year.
My question, is I have cdl to drive school bus only I never had a medical pocket card or issue I notice intrastate is on my cdl but it is supposed to interstate and lost my cdl for this mistake how can the fix this
@jones cl
You need to go back to the drivers license department and have them correct this mistake. It is a state thing not a fed thing.