Florida DOT Physical Qualification Requirements
by Stephanie EllenUpdated September 26, 2017
If you want to become a truck driver in Florida, you must pass a physical exam to get a commercial driver's license from the Florida Department of Transportation. A CDL could be your key to a solid financial future; according to the Bureau of Labor statistics, truck driving -- especially long haul -- continues to have favorable job opportunities.
Extremeties
The Florida Department of Transportation has strict requirements for the physical abilities of potential truck drivers. To get a CDL in Florida, you cannot have had a foot, leg, arm or hand amputated. In addition, you can't have a hand impairment that prevents you from power grasping or an arm, foot or leg impairment that stops you from performing the normal tasks of driving a truck like braking, acceleration and operating the steering wheel.
Diseases That Could Interfere With Driving Ability
A number of specific medical conditions will prevent you from obtaining a commercial driver's license in Florida. For example, if you are a diabetic and are taking insulin, you won't be allowed to drive a truck because of the possibility that complications from the disease may affect your ability to drive safely. You must also not have had a respiratory dysfunction or vascular, neuromuscular, orthopedic or rheumatic disease that could interfere with your ability to drive a truck.
Brain and Psychiatric Disorders
If you have any kind of nervous, mental, functional or organic psychiatric disorder that could interfere with your ability to drive a truck, you won't be able to get a CDL. If you have a current diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition that could cause a lack of consciousness, you'll be denied a CDL.
Miscellaneous
You must have blood pressure no higher than 180/110; you must have distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 in both of your eyes -- correctable with contact lenses -- and you must have at least 70 degrees field of vision; you cannot be color blind -- you must be able to see red, yellow, green and amber -- and you must be able to hear a forced whisper in your best ear at five feet or more, although the use of a hearing aid is acceptable.
References
Writer Bio
Stephanie Ellen teaches mathematics and statistics at the university and college level. She coauthored a statistics textbook published by Houghton-Mifflin. She has been writing professionally since 2008. Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science in health science from State University New York, a master's degree in math education from Jacksonville University and a Master of Arts in creative writing from National University.
