If you want to drive a commercial vehicle for a living, your first step should be to secure a physical assessment clearance from the DOT. You can easily do this by searching for “DOT physical near me.” Occupational health specialists offer this physical evaluation to ensure you’re healthy enough to drive a commercial vehicle. Ultimately, this physical protects you, the employer, and other drivers.
DOT Physical
A DOT (Department of Transportation) physical assesses your general health. It’s specifically for people who want to operate commercial vehicles, such as those that drive a vehicle over 10,000 pounds, one that carries passengers, or one that hauls hazardous materials.
An occupational medicine practitioner in Grand Junction, CO, will check your pulse and blood pressure. He or she will conduct a vision exam to ensure you meet the minimum requirements. You’ll also undergo a hearing screening, neurological exam, and an assessment of your heart and lungs.
You’ll also be asked to provide a urine sample to screen you for kidney problems. Part of urinalysis will be to check for drugs in your system.
Your practitioner will feel your abdomen to see if you have hernia as well. This is when tissue or an organ pushes through a weakened area in the organ or tissue. You not have any symptoms of a hernia, but it can cause a bulge you can feel that may grow. You might not have symptoms, depending on the type of hernia you have. One common sign of a hernia is the visible bulge in the affected area. Other reported symptoms include pressure, a cough, heartburn, and difficulty swallowing. Severe hernia symptoms are shooting pain, vomiting, and constipation
Why You Need a DOT Physical
The DOT physical is a comprehensive evaluation of your overall health to see if there are problems that could interfere with you driving a commercial vehicle. This will prevent you from putting your own life in danger as well as those around you.
Vision Screening
Part of your DOT physical includes a visual acuity test to check your eyesight in both eyes. You’ll also be tested for color vision. The practitioner checks your vision to see if it meets proper standards since you’re driving a large vehicle. A misjudgment due to poor eyesight could lead to an accident.
Hearing Screening
Part of the test also includes hearing evaluation. You need to be able to hear what’s going on around you to avoid potential accidents and to know if there is a need to allow an emergency vehicle to overtake you.
Drug Screening
Driving under the influence of drugs is dangerous because your reaction time is altered, your mental state changed, and you may not be able to judge distance accurately. All of these factors could lead to an accident when you’re behind the wheel. This is especially the case when you have thousands of pounds that you’re carrying or a hazardous material that could explode upon impact.
Cardiovascular Function
Part of your screening evaluates you for cardiovascular problems that aren’t managed well with medication. A cardiac emergency while you’re driving could trigger you to lose control of the vehicle and cause a serious accident.
Diabetes Evaluation
When you’re a diabetic, you could suffer from either a hypoglycemic or a hyperglycemic event that could cause you to lose consciousness. The DOT physical will ensure that your diabetes is controlled well with lifestyle changes and possibly with oral medication.
The physical requirements state that you must not depend on injectable insulin to regulate your sugar levels due to the risk of rapid blood sugar changes that could cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
Hernia Exam
Your physician will check for hernia because this could cause you to have an emergency episode that requires surgery. If this episode takes place while you’re driving, you could lose control of the vehicle.
Neurological Evaluation
During the neurological evaluation, your practitioner tests your reflexes to ensure you can respond to an emergency event on the road that requires you to maneuver well around other vehicles or passengers.
Why Choose WorkPartners Occupational Health Specialists in Grand Junction, CO
WorkPartners Occupational Health Specialists realizes the importance of a DOT physical. We thoroughly evaluate you, so you may stay safe on the road and avoid accidents.
Schedule an appointment with WorkPartners Occupational Health Specialists, serving Grand Junction and the nearby Colorado area, for a comprehensive DOT physician. We’re available by calling 970-241-5585 or utilizing our appointment scheduling tool.
