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Rhode Island 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. The deadline for self-certification is January 30, 2014.
Interstate Non-Excepted
You must meet the Federal DOT medical certificate requirements.
Intrastate Non-Excepted
You must meet the medical requirements for your State.
Submit your Self-Certification and Medical Certificate to the State of Rhode Island DMV
Submit the following two documents:
- Self Certification For A Commercial Driver’s License – download the form here from Rhode Island DMV.
- Copy of your valid DOT medical card (medical card only, not the long form). Enlarge the copy to ensure that all information is legible.
In Person:
Division of Motor Vehicles
Commercial Driver’s License Office
600 New London Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920-3024
Keep your Medical Card current with Rhode Island DMV
CDL holders required to have a ”certified” medical status who fail to provide and keep their medical examiner’s certificate up to date with their SDLA will become ”not-certified” and they may lose their CDL.
Prior to the expiration of you medical card, you must provide a new DOT medical card to your DMV located in Cranston.
Other Information:
Official Website: State of Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles
Cranston Headquarters – CDL – Phone 401-462-4368
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…
To help us all avoid the black eye experience — AARGH! —
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Do I have to make an appointment to self certify for dot physical?
@ Richard
You will have to check with your local DLD for the best answer.
i have a candidate that is legally blind in one eye- he has a health card and a driver’s license in good standing for RI. is he eligible for a dot card for non-cdl trucks
@ Thomas D
Since your candidate is not a cdl holder, he then falls under the states guidelines and variances. Make sure the medical examiner know the difference between state and federal guidelines. Confirm with your local drivers license department, they should be able to guide you from here.
We have a company box truck < 26000lbs. Are the driver’s of this vehicle required to have a Rhode Island Health Card or is the health card only for those with a CDL?
@ Pete R
Each state is different. As a general statement, any vehicle that is used for commerce requires a valid medical card. Confirm with your states drivers license department.
I’m a Rhode Island resident out on Worker’s Comp and my card expired. Can I still get my medical card renewed even though I’m out on comp? If not how do I go about not having my license get suspended?
@ Chris
Contact your local drivers license department, they should be able to guide you through their process.
Where do i send my new dot medical card so i dont have to go down to the dmv
@ Dale G
Check with your local drivers license department for your best answer.
I have misplaced my paper medical certificate, is there a way to get a copy?
@ Mark
Check with your medical examiner, he is supposed to maintain copies of your paperwork for at least three years.
Is there a grace time to get you health card after it expires
@ Robert k
No grace period, card expires on midnight for expiration date. Just go get a new medical examination as soon as possible and get a copy to the state right away.
Update March 24: FMCSA has issued a Notice and a Waiver allowing a grace period for expired medical cards during the COVID-19 national emergency.
Could you still have a CDL if you have a defibulator inside of you
@ Phil
If the defibrillator inside you has been turned off and you supply the examiner with proper medical documentation, then there is a chance. The examiner has to have a working knowledge of the medical review reports from FMCSA, then he can make his decision. This is for class A cdl drivers. If you carry a lesser class then you would need to check with your local drivers license department.
Can I still have a CDL with defibrillator
@ Phil
If the defibrillator has been turned off and you supply the examiner with proper medical documentation, then there is a chance. The examiner has to have a working knowledge of the medical review reports from FMCSA and then he can make his decision. This is for class A cdl drivers. If you carry a lesser class then you would need to check with your local drivers license department.
How often do have to renew your RI dot card
@ James H
The expiration date is actually on your medical card.
Do I have to go in person to the DMV or can I email my new medical card?
@ Robin
Each state is different, so check with your state DLD.
I’m driving a school bus…I just start using insulin. Vs I still driving a school bus
@ Francisco
Check with your local DLD for the best answer. You are under the state’s guidelines and not the DOT/FMCSA.
How do you go about getting a medical card (non-CDL)
And what is the cost
What physicians in Rhode Island do CDL Physicals.
If I self certify as excepted interstate in RI do I need a medical card
@ Frank
Check with RI drivers license department for the best answer.
I only need a Medical Card not a CDL license. We have a box truck for work that does not require CDL but we drive it over state lines and it is just over the 10000 pounds.
Does just getting the Medical Card require a drug test? Conflicting info on multiple sites. I have a Medical marijuana card.
@ Laura B
No drug test, unless employer request and pays for it. Urinalysis is required for DOT medical examination to rule out blood, protein, and sugar.
I don’t even use my CDL but when I have lost my tech job before, I could fall back on driving jobs. So I have to go blow through $120 every two years for a physical and have to deliver the paperwork in person to the DMV in RI during working hours for a CDL I’m not even currently using. That’s in addition to having to get my license renewed in person which is in a different schedule. This is a ripoff, it’s like the government doesn’t want people to have jobs and wants to nickel dime for everything.
I have been driving for 36 years was out of work Sense 7/26/2014 when my wife became I’ll with cancer. My medical card ran out a couple of months after 8/26/2014 I finally have a chance to get back to work now I’m being told my license has been downgreated but my license still has CDL class a and does not expirer till 6/18/2018 I was told over the phone I have to do everything all over again like I never had a CDL is thier anyway I can get help so I don’t lose the job that is ready to hire me.
@Rayond
You’ll need to work this out with your local drivers license department. They are the ones who downgraded you, which is normal in any state when you don’t have a valid/current medical card on file with your CDL. You local DLD are the only people who can help you get your CDL back.
Thank you for your time to help me find out what I need to do. I called and was told the first thing I have to do is get a dot physical. Thank you again for your time.
Can someone else bring the copy in for you? I live in a different state now and need to submit it in the old state before I can transfer my license.
@Zachary
Get someone in that state to contact the local DLD and see if they can bring in a copy for you.
We cannot keep up with the different processes the DLDs have at a local level.
I drive a F-350 duall wheel one ton and was told by a Maine state trooper I needed a health card, is this true ?
My licence and truck are RI and in ri when I registered the truck I was told ALL trucks are registered as commercial , so is that the reason why he may have stated the health card issue ?
@Adam
That may be true. If you use your vehicle for hauling and the loads are in excess of 10,001 pounds, then most states are requiring a medical certificate. Check with your state DLD to make that final decision.
my card is good untill 10-1-14 do i still have to report it by january 30? Thanks
@Carl
The January 30th deadline is not just about your medical card. The deadline is for you to have submitted the new Self-Certification form to your State DMV. YES, you must get the form submitted, and this includes a copy of your medical card.