Click to find DOT physical locations in TENNESSEE
Click to find DOT physical locations in OTHER STATES
Tennessee CDL Requirements
Updated: 3/23/22
Starting on January 30, 2012, all CDL Drivers will be required to self certify to a single type of commercial operation. You are responsible to provide TDOSHS with your self-certification of operating status by January 30, 2014.
Based on that self certification, you may need to provide the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) with a current medical examiner’s certificate and show any variance you may have to obtain or keep your CDL.
Interstate Non-Excepted
You must meet the Federal DOT medical certificate requirements.
Intrastate Non-Excepted
You must meet the medical requirements for the State of Tennessee.
If you do not provide TDOSHS with your self-certification and medical certificate by January 30, 2014, TDOSHS will notify you that you are no longer medically certified to operate a CMV in non-excepted Interstate commerce. TDOSHS will then remove all your CDL privileges from your license.
Submit your Affidavit Self-Certification and Medical Certificate Form MCSA 5876 to Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security
Submit the following two documents:
- SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION FOR COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSE – download the form SF-1480 (Rev11/18) here from Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
- Copy of your valid Medical Examiner Certificate – Form MCSA 5876 (the medical card, not the long form). Enlarge the copy to ensure that all information is legible.
By Mail:
Tennessee Dept. of Safety and Homeland Security
Commercial Driver License Division – Med Cert
1148 Foster Ave
Nasvhille, TN 37243
By Email:
DI.CDL.Medcert@tn.gov
If by email please send the scanned copies in a PDF.
Upload Self-Certification Affidavit and Medical Examiner’s Certificate:
TN Driver Services upload link
For questions please call 615-502-4179. Please have your commercial driver license number readily available.
Keep Your Medical Card Current With Tennessee Department Of Safety
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security will be adding your medical certification status and the information on your medical examiner’s certificate to your Commercial Driver’s License System (CDLIS) record. CDL holders required to have a ”certified” medical status who fail to provide and keep up-to-date their medical examiner’s certificate with TDOSHS will become ”not-certified”.
It is the driver’s responsibility to maintain up to date medical certification notification to the state.
Before your medical card expires you must have a new medical examination and obtain a new medical certificate. You are responsible for providing your valid medical certificate to TDOSHS.
If your medical card expires, TDOSHS will notify you that you are no longer medically certified to operate a CMV in non-excepted Interstate commerce. TDOSHS will then remove all your CDL privileges from your license.
You may submit your new medical certificate by mail, email, or online as described above.
Other Information:
Tennessee official website Driver Services
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! —
Please leave your feedback about your experience in this State.
Go to the Questions and Comments box below and post your feedback.
! To save us all from zombie spammers, your feedback will not appear on this page until it has been approved. Visit this page again soon to see your comment, and others too.
P.S. Your email address will not be published.
NOTE: This website is not affiliated with, or endorsed by FMCSA or any government or state agency.
I am shut down in tx till i self certify my cdl…does anyone know how long it will take once I get the paperwork faxed in for this?
I had a City job that required me to get the Code 52 restriction and I didn’t have to get a medical card, but I’m not employed with them anymore and I got my medical card. How do I get the restriction off my license?
@ Anthony McC
Go to the local DLD and find out.
If I am taking Seroquel and depakote can I still be approved for a DOT medical card 52 I was shot in my head in 2015 but I have not suffered or severe experienced any difficulties
@ Dustin
Both of these medications are going to raise questions and will require medical documentation from your prescribing physicians.
My med card expired in June of 2017. My CDL status shows cancelled. If I renew my med card, will my CDL be reinstated or do I have to reapply for a CDL?
@Scott
You will need to check with your local drivers license department to see how you can get your CDL reinstated. A new medical card does not automatically give you your CDL.
I live in Georgia,. I drive a school bus,. We take field trips to the great state of Tennessee. Georgia does not require us to have a DOT card,. When we cross into Tennessee,. Will e needed to have a dot card??? I’m told we do so I don’t go.
@Mark
This will depend on the class of your drivers license. If it is not a class A, then all you need to do is check with your local drivers license department to determine the best answer.
I am a school bus driver. my employer sent me to renew my DOT card, and the healthcare provider i was sent to failed me because I am partially colorblind. I can distinguish between red, yellow, and green. They told me that it didn’t matter, they don’t pass anyone with any amount of color blindness. This seems to be contrary to state law; are their policies legal? Before this, I received my previous DOT card from Concentra, and it was recognized by my employer. Now they are saying I can’t go there because they would consider that “doctor shopping”. Other employee’s here have been allowed to go to other establishments for their DOT physical for other medical reason. Any suggestions?
@Daniel
They should only be testing you to distinguish between red, yellow, and green. The primary reason for the DOT physical color test is to determine your ability to distinguish red, amber/yellow and green – not a color blindness examination.
Yes, you are entitled to go somewhere else for a second opinion, and not be bullied by someone who is not sticking to the guidelines.
I have a restriction 52 on my CDL. But I’m going tomorrow to get my Heath card.Do I only have to take it to the DMV and show them I have med card back to get the restriction took off or do I have to do more???
My Med card expires tomorrow February 4th I am going to get a physical tomorrow and fax my paper work in. Will my CDL be taken away because it is not 10 days before it expired? And will have have to pay $75 to reinstate my CDL? Or will me faxing my paper work in tomorrow be perfectly fine since it doesn’t expire till tomorrow??
@marissa
Only your drivers license department can answer this question.
Just get your new medical card to them asap.
If they are behind in getting their system updated, then it’s unlikely that they’ll be downgrading licenses immediately.
I am laid off , my medical card is coming up can I get anew card by taking medical not working ?
@Larry
Yes.
My medical card expire on the 13 of July. I had just found out That my cdl has been cancelled due to expired medical card. If I was to get my card today would I be able to get back in my dump truck and drive today? Or do I have to go thru the reinstatement process before I can get back in truck?
@Jamon
You want to go through the reinstatement process first. Best to get to the drivers license department asap and get it done.
hello all.i gave up my CDL last week anyway i can get it back?i regret it dearly
@Joe
Contact your local drivers license department where you gave it up. Only they can help you.
I changed careers and no longer needed a CDL. I chose not to continue the medical exams and annual application process for the CDL. Therefore, TDOSHS has removed my CDL privileges. Do I need to do anything further? My DL hasn’t expired.
@Dee
Sounds like you have done what you need to do with Tennessee drivers license department, but they are the only ones who can confirm this for you. Every state has their own process.
Our expertise is on medical certification, not on driver licenses.
Hello, I have moved from West Virginia to Tennessee. I have a Class A CDL with all endorsements but currently I do not drive commercially. I have let my DOT medical card expire and I need to renew my drivers license due to the fact I have changed my residence. I was told that if I do not have a current DOT medical card on file, I can not retain a CDL Class A license when I renew the license and that my CDL will be lost. I wanted to retain it, if I needed to drive again for a living. Is this true or can it just be downgraded without loss just with no Commercial driving privileges? If so where can this law to provide to the DMV when I renew my license?
@Kenneth
Each state treats this process differently. You’ll need to contact your local drivers license department and ask them what their downgrade/upgrade process is.
I am transferring my CDL from Arkansas to Tennessee, will my medical card transfer with it? it has my license number from Arkansas on it…which will not match my new TN license…
@Jimmie
Your medical card will transfer with no problem, just make a copy of your old drivers license to support the changes and you should be OK until you renew your new medical certificate.
My Class A CDL status has been cancelled as of Jan.16, 2016 due to an expired Med card. I am in perfect health and will be obtaining a med card this week. Will filing the paperwork and verifying my Med card with the county clerk be all I need to do to get my license be back to Class A or will i need to retest?
@Joe
Most states would say that that is all you need. Some states will ask you to re-instate your license, for a fee. Nearly none will request that you start all over.
were can i get copies of the affidavit forms for TN
If you have a CDL and because of failure to file medical and it gets canceled, what are the steps you need to take in order to get it active again?
@Tonya
Each state treats this process differently. You’ll need to contact your local DLD to determine what you need to do.
I haven’t been driving commercially otr since 2003. However, I kept my CDL Class A active all that time but didn’t see no need to keep my Medical Card current because I wasn’t driving for a living. When they implemented the Self Certification, I was then forced to go get a DOT physical in order to keep my CDL current. I was and am still a bit confused by all this. Needless to say, my blood pressure was alot higher than I ever anticipated and I couldn’t pass the physical to renew my Medical Card. So, it was my understanding that to keep your CDL, you either had to pass the physical if you planned to drive interstate or you could still keep your CDL by excepting yourself when you self certify, which means, or so I thought it meant, you could still keep your CDL “Active”. So, I check my CDL license status and come to find out its ” Cancelled” .So my question is, My CDL license that I have in my wallet says CDL Commercial Drivers License. It doesn’t expire till the end of 2016. I’m assuming I no longer have a CDL with no endorsements (I had EVERY endorsement except Passenger) any longer, is this correct? I thought by excepting myself from operating commercially, that it would still keep my CDL a CDL since I was no longer driving and that I couldn’t pass the Physical. Otherwise, why make it an available choice to except yourself. Why didn’t they just word it that if you couldn’t renew your Medical Card, you would no longer be able to be issued or carry a Commercial Drivers License and require you to surrender your CDL and exchange it for a regular Drivers License? Basically I’m carrying around a Drivers License that says Commercial Drivers License. Very confusing!!! Please clarify if I’m understanding this correctly. I live in Tennessee and been a CDL Class A license holder since 1991. Thanks in advance! Best Regards!
@Alan
The downgrade process differs from state to state. Some states will allow you to self-certify “excepted intrastate” as long as you are not driving, and keep your CDL; the length of time that you can do this may be limited.
The only way to know for sure what they will allow you to do, is to contact your local drivers license department directly, and have them address your circumstances on an individual basis.
Hello, I have a CDL, but do not drive for a living any longer. I still want to keep my CDL (ya never know). Will I need to update my medical card now, or can that be done when my license expires ?
Thank you !
when you renue you medical card, you have to fax an affidavit form. there are 4 questions on that form, which of the questions is the correct anwer if: you have a cdl class A non restriction and you can drive state to state. please help me to anwer the correct question ….. excepted interstate , non excepted interstate, is confused to me..
@Herbert
Non Excepted Interstate.
I just want to know how long is a Medical Examiner’s Certificate valid for in the state of TN. 1 year or 2 years?
@Betty
All depends on how well you did on the examination. Two years is the longest you can get a card for if all is well. It can reduce from there based on findings, medications, ongoing conditions, etc. This applies to all states.
All medical certificates expire two years from the date of issuance, regardless of state the CDL was issued.
@Zach
Incorrect.
A medical certificate expires at midnight on the expiration date.
Medical cards can be issued for any time period e.g. 30 days, 3 months, 1 year… up to a maximum of 2 years.
NOT TRUE. A medical can be written for as short as 3 months up to two years pending your level of health.
Is there a limit to the number of times an operator can be issued a 3-month medical card?
@Beverly
It would depend on the reasoning for the three month card to begin with.
There are never any “Limits”, but there are reasons. If, for example, your reasoning is due to blood pressure, or some other acute (temporary, or sudden) reason, then it will most likely have to be monitored and renewed every 3 months until the matter is medically resolved. If the matter tends into the chronic (long term) reasons, you may actually lose your right to operate a CMV. The FMCSA is currently investigating whether sleep apnea and diabetes is a deniable medical condition for CMV/CDL operation. Only time will tell.