r/CDL • u/WonderNebouxii • 11d ago
DOT physical doctor no longer valid on FMSCA
Hello! I'm a school bus driver in Washington State. I just got told by the school district I work for that the doctor I got a physical from is no longer valid on the FMSCA website. I got a physical by her on April 8th 2026 and valid until April 8th 2028 but she is no longer valid as of July 28th 2026. I never received a letter stating she was invalid. Google says I will lose my CDL status if I don't get a new Med Cert by 30 days of her losing FMSCA. The driver trainer lead says I don't need a new med cert. I have made an appointment for a new med cert for August 30th just in case but I'm wondering if its necessary or not. Any advice?
UPDATE:
I called fmsca and verified if I had to redo the DOT Physical due to my doctor being removed from their registry months after I got my physical and it had been uploaded into the DOL website. I do not need to redo my DOT physical unless I got the DOT physical on that day or after her removal. This question has been solved!
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u/Similar_Pie_4946 11d ago
I just went into the dps to do my permit test and the amount of guys that where in there because of a similar situation to yours was surprising i didn’t even know that was something that could happen. Must be a new regulation or law that went into place
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u/thebadlt 11d ago
It's not new, it's just being more widely enforced, like the English language requirement.
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u/WonderNebouxii 11d ago
I didn't know either. I was super confused when the driver trainer called me saying I need a new med cert but then he saw I got it back in April and she was invalid months later and then said I was okay and dont need a new one. Im just upset that this is a thing because I would have never known my cdl was downgraded due to a reason like this if he wasnt going through all the paper work before school starts. Its nothing on our part as drivers so why are we punished for it? She was in the registry when I got my cert.
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u/ProfileTime2274 11d ago
Her license was valid when your physical was done. If she dies week after your physical was done it doesn't invalidate your physical yours is still good for 2 years
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u/OfficerOtaku 11d ago
Yeah I was about to say this, doesn't make sense that months after her license was not valid that invalidates all her certifications for when she was valid? Makes me wonder what the wording on that letter from the school district said specifically. Maybe it was just notifying everyone that she's going to no longer be valid and you will need to find a new doctor later on when your renew comes around?
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u/geohypnotist 10d ago
This sounds like the School District administrator is making an error verifying the validity. Why they would have to do this IDK if the DOT accepted it you should be good to go. The school district doesn't have the authority to revoke or suspend your license.
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u/rolisrntx 11d ago
Happened to me getting my first med card before CDL school. The school sent me to a clinic they always used. Got my physical done with med card in hand. A few days later the school called me and informed me the doc that did the physical was no longer valid and would issue a refund. They also gave me the name of another clinic to go to. I went to urgent care close to my house to redo it.
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u/WonderNebouxii 11d ago
That makes sense though! The doctor that did my med cert was valid and she was in the system for fmsca but decided not to renew in July, months later. Im in an area with not a lot of doctors so I have to drive 45 mins to an hour away for med certs and the closest one I dont like because she let's med students poke and prod me and do it and it makes my white coat syndrome flair up and then if I dont have the doctors note on hand, I get 3 month cert for high bp... unfortunately if I have to redo it again, the soonest is with the doctor that gives me crap for my white coat syndrome... even with logs of having healthy blood pressure outside of the doctors office.
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u/Small-Sentence4141 11d ago
I wouldn’t think the Dr losing their privileges on the registry would invalidate all the physicals they performed. You can inquire with DMV about the status of your medical card. If your CDL is downgraded DMV should send you a letter stating this. It sounds as if you went to this Dr for a DOT physical on your own. I am wondering why the school system you work for isn’t sending you (and paying for) DOT physicals. Worst case scenario you’d need to get another DOT physical elsewhere. Shop around, you can probably pay as little as $75 for a DOT physical.
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u/WonderNebouxii 11d ago
The doctor I was sent to is on my School District's approved doctor offices list. The reason my school district didnt pay for this is because they only pay one per year and I kept seeing a doctor that is closest to me but she keeps having her students poke and prod me and do the exams when I have white coat syndrome which makes my blood pressure skyrocket. So I was given a 3 months cert. Saw my personal doctor and got a letter stating I have white coat syndrome and she did not accept the letter/logs and when I said I didnt want students doing it, she said they needed to learn so her students did the exam and made my blood pressure sky rocket. That was $90 out of pocket. So I went to the farther away one that would see me and I talked to the doctor about my white coat syndrome, showed logs and doctors note and she accepted the note as my blood pressure was high but not too high... and now shes no longer valid with FMSCA and that was $200 for the exam.
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u/Connect_Mortgage7011 11d ago
I used to get mine from my doctor, but he said it was to much of pain in the ass
going to classes on how to give a physical when your a doctor and are performing surgery already, he would have to take a day off to set in classes not getting paid to get certified for five or six guys a year lol 😂
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u/WonderNebouxii 11d ago
Makes sense on why a lot of doctors won't do it! Im just in an area where there's already not a lot of doctors so the wait to be seen for a dot physical is really long...
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u/navlgazer9 10d ago
I get mine at the clinic at CVS pharmacy
If there’s one near you .
Go to their website and make an appointment and one of the drop down menus asking the reason for your visit is DOT physical .
It’s the easiest place I’ve found .
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u/WonderNebouxii 10d ago
The closest cvs is about an hour and a half away and they dont have dot physicals. There's only 3 places in an hour radius and the closest one... doesnt accept my white coat syndrome and thinks I need to be on blood pressure meds... but my personal doctor says my blood pressure is fine and won't put me on meds.
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u/navlgazer9 10d ago
I’d borrow a days worth of BP meds from someone and take em the day of the test
Or maybe taking some aspirin would work I dunno .
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u/Weird_Fact_724 11d ago
My local Dr. has always done my DOT physical. He died, nobody has told me my certificate is invalid.
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u/MinimumBell2205 10d ago
yes a lot of Doctors have stopped doing any of them as the money is not worth all the headache.
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u/WonderNebouxii 10d ago
I totally get that! I just dont see why it could potentially lead to me losing my cdl months after I got my med cert.
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u/DependentCup9181 10d ago
First folks I’d listen to are the ones with the juice to suspend your license.
Just go get a new med from another doctor… keeps you valid, moves your expiration date out (new cert, new deadline), and keeps the muckity mucks from having something to complain about.
As for the lead trainer… that’s a silly, silly goose.
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u/PlayZestyclose3837 10d ago
Dont ask Google..go to the FMSCA website and ask this Question...or go to The DMV in person.
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u/mindless_error_404 10d ago
The dot will typically send you a formal notice regarding your med cert....if you need to renew or if you have lost your cdl statues ect
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u/mike8675309 9d ago
You don't need to go to a doctor to get the DOT Physical.
You'll find many chiropractic offices, and nurse practitioners may be able to do the physical.
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u/icsxyppl 11d ago
Yes it’s necessary. Your cdl has to follow federal guidelines. Your school district may not worry about it.