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Ohio CDL Requirements
Effective January 30, 2012, new federal regulations require all Commercial Driver License holders to self-certify their type of commercial driving. All CDL holders must submit a self-certification in order to be issued and maintain their CDL.
All Ohio CDL holders are required to certify the type of commercial operation they’re engaged in.
Interstate Non-Excepted
You must meet the Federal DOT medical certificate requirements.
Intrastate Non-Excepted
You must meet the State DOT medical requirements.
Self-Certifying and Submitting your Medical Certificate to Ohio BMV
All CDL drivers must self-certify in one of four categories no later than January 30, 2014.
A description of the categories can be found by viewing form BMV2159.
If you self-certify Interstate Non-Excepted, you must also submit your Medical Certificate.
Submit the following two documents:
- Commercial Driver License Self Certification Authorization Form – download the form here from Ohio Department of Public Safety Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
- Copy of your valid DOT medical card (medical card only, not the long form). Enlarge the copy to ensure that all information is legible.
Note: Please include a cover page with your contact information: Name, address and telephone number.
By Mail:
Ohio BMV
CDL/Out of State Processing
P.O. Box 16784
Columbus, OH 43216-6784
By Fax:
614-308-5181
By Email:
cdl@dps.ohio.gov
In Person:
To a Regional Reinstatement Office or a Deputy Registrar. Locations can be found here.
Keep your Medical Certificate current with Ohio BMV
If you self-certify Non-Excepted Interstate and submit a medical certificate, you are required to keep a valid medical card on file with Ohio BMV.
Ohio BMV will send you a notice approximately 60 days prior to your medical card expiration. If you do not provide a new medical card, Ohio BMV will mail a notice to you, indicating your medical certificate is expired. Once your medical card expires, you are no longer eligible to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
Submit a legible copy of your medical certificate (medical card only, not the long form) to the Ohio BMV:
By Mail:
Ohio BMV
CDL/Out of State Processing
P.O. Box 16784
Columbus, OH 43216-6784
By Fax:
614-308-5181
By Email:
cdl@dps.ohio.gov
Note: Allow up to 5 business days for processing of forms submitted by mail, fax, or e-mail.
In Person: For same day service
Submit completed forms to a Regional Service Center:
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Other Information:
Website: Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles official website
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.
Your Feedback Is Welcome
Dealing with Federal DOT Regulations across the board is tough enough!
But when it comes to State Regulations — There are 50 different sets of rules. Someone could move the goal posts at any time…
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We have both CDL and non CDL vehicles in our fleet, are both sets of drivers subjected to the SAME physical? I understand that the CDL should be DOT physical, but what about the non CDL’s drivers?
My dot medical card expired 8 months ago. I didn’t attempt to get a medical card because u thought I no longer wanted to drive with a CDL. What will I have to do to legalize my CDL again? I never downgraded to a lower class
@Julia
You were most likely downgraded automatically. You’ll need to contact your local drivers license department to find out what you need to do to get your CDL reinstated.
Is there an exemption for vision I have a cdl but can not pass the vision portion of the dot test with my left eye?
@John
There is a vision waiver from FMCSA.
Am an Ohio employer trying to determine if my Commercial Drivers need a medical certificate if they drive only in the State of Ohio. I believe they do not unless they cross state lines. Any help would be appreciated.
@Cindi
Anyone who drives for commercial purposes needs a medical certificate, intrastate or interstate.
Can you describe commercial with a category 4 intrastate?
@ Dan K
This is a state related question. Check with Ohio DLD for your best answer.
I’m an ohio resident, do I have to get my medical card from a dr in ohio or can I get one from a dr in wv as long as they are on the list of drs?
I will be driving a 15 passenger van including the driver, it’s under 26,001 lbs so no cdl is required only the medical card correct?
I am 20 years old and got my restriction off for intrastate only from my vision requirements. Now it’s just intrastate only due to not being 21 yet. I just self certified myself for expected interstate due to working for a company that hauls mulch. Now that I self certified myself for expected interstate what does that mean now?
I work for a truck dealership. They want me to get a CDL in order to be able to deliver new and repaired trucks, and to be able to test drive trucks for the mechanics. I do not think I would be able to pass a DOT physical. Most of the driving would be bobtail, and intrastate. In Ohio, would I be able to get a class A intratstate CDL without a medical cert?
@Steven
If you have a CDL, then you must have a valid medical card to go with it.
That being said, you would fall under the states variances for an intra-state driver, which is not the same as an interstate driver.
Just explain to your examiner that you will drive bobtail and local only within the state borders. As long as the examiner know what type of driver and driving you are going to be doing, then you should be OK. Also check with your local drivers license department and get the full scoop from them on what the states variances are regarding intra-state only.
i recently sufferd a tia after having cerebral aneurysm coilled.my med.card expired while i was out of work.i went to have it renewed but was told i have to wait 1 year even though being cleared by two neuro surgeons and having a driver evaluation done.and being cleared to drive a commerical motor vehicle.is there anything i can do to get back to driving?
@Arnold
Check with your local drivers license department and ask about driving intra-state only until your waiting period is complete. As an intra-state driver you may be able to return to work while you wait out the FMCSA required wait time.
i have had other dot doctors say i should be able to get a one year med card with all my documentaion
I have a cdl A have never had med card. I have worked for a municipality in Ohio for 20years. Just renewed my license with in the last 2 years DMV did not and has not notified me of any infractions? I am under the care of a doctor for pain management and have been for 3 years due to an injury that happened at work. I am scheduled to take a medical examination for a new county job. Am I gonna have any issues?
@Scott
Make sure you take a medical release form from your doctor with you at the time of the examination. Have your doctor explain your situation and the needs for the prescription that he has you on. All that information is useful to the examining CME.
What do you do if your medical card expired? Do you have to do the test’s over again or can you just bring another in after you get it?
@Tyler
Depends how long your medical card has been expired. You may be okay, or your license may have been suspended. Get a new medical card in to your local drivers license department asap.
Why do you need to have a current medical card for your CDL if you are not operating a commercial vehicle. I know if I applied for a driving position that a medical card is required but drivers without a cdl are not required to get a ODOT physical to operate a car. I feel it is unfair to pay for a physical that should not be required.
Do I need a dot physical if truck only has puco numbers
@Ty
You need a medical card if you drive for commercial purposes.
We offered a CDL driving position to an applicant contingent on their MVR. After the offer we ask the employee for their CDL license and their Medical Certificate, so we can make copies. The new employee told us that they do not have a Medical Certificate. So when we sent him for the controlled substance test, we also had him get a physical. According to the results of the physical the new employee can not get their Medical Certificate unless he/she has a stress test.
1. Can an employer ask the applicant prior to the job offer if they have a Medical Certificate?
2. If they don’t have a Medical Certificate, is it up to the employer or the new employee to get the physical in order to get the Medical Certificate?
3. Now that the employee has to get the stress test, are we required to pay for it? Or is the employee who didn’t have it in the first place.
We are an Illinois employer, however, the employee will be working for us in Ohio.
Thank you,
@Shirley
1. Yes, you can and should ask.
2. That would be a company policy. If the job requires a medical certificate then the driver should have one already. But, if a new certificate is needed, then it is up to the company as to how they want to handle the situation.
3. The stress test is for the driver to complete, that is up to the driver to have this completed before he can be issued a new medical certificate. He will need a new stress test every two years to maintain a valid medical certificate.
I had a heart attack 5 years ago. The last stress test and ECG was two years ago. I have to get another one to renew my DOT physical. I have to pay out of pocket, and the nuclear stress test is quite expensive. Do I need to get the nuclear stress test also, or will the treadmill test be sufficient?
@Doug
Tread mill should be sufficient. Make sure you take the findings with you to the DOT examination.
My husband just updated his medical card abt 2 wks ago. He was given a 2 year medical card. He is taking a new job and they are requiring him to go to one of there facilities and redo the physical. When he went, they only gave him a 3 month card, pending a condition he was already cleared for and had documentation for. The BMV will now only go by this 3 month card. How can he go about getting it overridden or what process does he need to take to clear the medical condition again. They said its a risk, but he is not seeking treatment for it because it is something that does not require treatment (blood in urine due to a inherited kidney disease) for?
@Britney
Proper documentation from his primary doctor is all that is needed.
I recently went to take a new DOT physical for a new job. The medical examiner would not give me my medical card because my blood sugar was too high when he tested my urine, and yes I am diabetic. He referred me to my family doctor and they ran a new A1C. I was told that there are regulations as to how high my A1C is allowed to be before they can issue my medical card for the new job, is that true for an intrastate driver? This new job is for an intrastate bus driver and I am confused by the medical examiner’s information and actions? There seems to be no information concerning what, if any, regulations apply to intrastate diabetes and what is actually the rules to follow, can anyone please help?
@Jeff
Go check with your local drivers license department and see what they have to say about your condition and driving intra-state only.
Could I get my CDL if on a insulin pump were I don’t take shots and could pass the physical?
@Andy
You will be limited to intra-state only unless you go for the FMCSA insulin waiver.
We are in the Ohio. I have an employee that is out on medical leave, and his medical certificate expires in July. He is unable to pass his med cert right now. Will he lose his CDL if his medical card lapses? We are a private utility/cable company. Can he get an extension?
@Patty
There is no such thing as a medical card extension. The driver needs to speak with someone at his local drivers license department and let them know the circumstances. They should have a process for reinstating his CDL if it is downgraded.
I have cdl I don’t drive a bus but I clean them and park them. I had a tia to me and my doctor small. No weakness just my balance was off for a day. My doctor approved me to go back to work ,but my company said the rules say I can’t come back till a year is that the rule?.?
@Paula
Is this a company policy?
You should not be being tested as an interstate/class A driver or its regulations.
My husband has controlled diabetes. His new company sent him to Concentrate for his physical even though he already had a 2 year medical card. They would only issue him a card for 1 year stating that it was because he had diabetes. Is that the guidelines?
@Michelle
Yes, as long as he is on medications to control his condition it is only good for one year. That has been the law for many years via FMCSA.