DOT physical marketing: what clinics can advertise

“DOT physicals, walk in, card in 20 minutes.” “$X sports physicals this Saturday.” “Free physicals with any visit.” These are some of the most common ads in urgent care, occupational health and family practice. They look simple, but each phrase is a promise about who examines the patient, how fast a result comes and what the patient pays. For DOT physicals, federal motor carrier rules decide most of those answers before you write the ad.

This guide is for urgent care centers, occupational health clinics, family and chiropractic practices that offer commercial driver medical exams, sports physicals or both. It covers examiner wording, same-day and certificate-length claims, price and “free” offers, and how results reach employers and schools. We do not name any clinic, network or software. For the wider employer side of this work, see our guide to occupational medicine marketing, and for walk-in clinics in general, our guide to urgent care marketing.

This is general information, not legal or medical advice. Sources cited were checked on November 2, 2026: 49 CFR 390.103, 390.105, 390.111 and 390.113, and 49 CFR 391.41, 391.43, 391.45 and 391.51, in the eCFR version as of October 29, 2026; 16 CFR 251.1 and 233.1 and 45 CFR 164.508 and 164.512 in the same eCFR version; 15 USC 45 in the Cornell LII text of the U.S. Code; and the FMCSA National Registry website. We did not read any state law, state athletic association rule or school district form. Pre-participation sports exams are set by states, schools and athletic associations, and who may perform them depends on your state. Check with your board and counsel before you advertise.

The short version

Certification belongs to a person, not a building. A DOT exam must be done by a medical examiner listed on FMCSA’s National Registry (49 CFR 391.43(a)). Advertise the examiners you have, not a “DOT-certified clinic.”
“Same-day card” cannot be a promise. The examiner may find the driver not qualified, or may delay the decision for up to 45 days to get more information (391.43(g)(4)).
“2-year card” is a maximum, not a guarantee. Drivers are examined at least every 24 months, and some, such as drivers with insulin-treated diabetes or a vision variance, every 12 months (391.45).
“Free” has a federal meaning. The FTC Guide at 16 CFR 251.1 says a free item tied to a purchase cannot be paid for by raising the price of the purchase.
Results go where the rules send them. The DOT examiner reports to FMCSA; a sports physical form for a school generally goes through the parent or with written authorization.

What a DOT physical is, in one paragraph

A driver who operates a commercial motor vehicle under FMCSA rules must be medically certified as physically qualified (49 CFR 391.41(a)). The exam is recorded on the Medical Examination Report Form, MCSA-5875 (391.43(f)), and the examiner sends the results to FMCSA electronically (391.43(g)(5)). Since June 23, 2025, a driver who does not need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or learner’s permit (CLP) and is found qualified gets the original Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Form MCSA-5876 (391.43(g)(2)(ii)). For CDL and CLP holders, the medical certification information FMCSA provides electronically controls over a paper copy if the two conflict (391.41(a)(2)(iv)), so a “card” is not what they rely on. Your ad is selling access to that exam and that decision, not a document the clinic can hand out on request.

Examiner wording: who is certified

FMCSA certifies individual medical examiners. Under 49 CFR 390.103, an applicant must be licensed, certified or registered under state law to perform physical examinations, register on the National Registry, complete accredited training that meets 390.105 and pass FMCSA’s medical examiner certification test. The rule lists advanced practice nurses, doctors of chiropractic, doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, physician assistants and other professionals whose state allows them to perform physical exams. To stay listed, examiners repeat training between 4 and 5 years after certification and training plus the test between 9 and 10 years after (390.111(a)(5)).

What this means for your website, listings and ads:

Name the certified examiners, or describe them accurately. “DOT physicals by medical examiners listed on FMCSA’s National Registry” is accurate if it is true at every location you advertise. “DOT-certified clinic” or “FMCSA-approved facility” suggests a credential FMCSA does not issue to a clinic.
Check the registry, then keep checking. FMCSA’s National Registry website lets drivers and carriers look up examiners. If an examiner leaves, moves or lapses, update your location pages, Google Business Profile services and ads the same week.
Match hours to examiner schedules. “DOT physicals during all walk-in hours” is only true if a listed examiner is on site for all of them. If not, list the days or say “call to confirm an examiner is available.”
Do not overstate the training. FMCSA may remove an examiner who falsely claims to have completed the required training (390.113(e)). The same care applies to how your ads describe it.

Same-day, walk-in and “card today” claims

Speed is the main selling point for a DOT exam, because a driver without a current certificate may not be able to work. That is also why speed claims get tested. 49 CFR 391.43(g) gives the examiner three outcomes: qualified, not qualified, or a determination that is delayed for more information or further examination. When the decision is delayed, the examiner must tell the driver that the information or exam must be completed within 45 days and that the pending status will be reported to FMCSA.

“Walk-ins welcome” and “most exams take about an hour” describe your process. Use them if your own records support them.
“Same-day results” can be fine if you mean the examiner will tell the driver the outcome that day. Add that some exams need more records first.
“Card in 20 minutes, guaranteed” and “guaranteed pass” promise an outcome that only the examiner can decide, after the exam. Leave them out.
“No records needed” can mislead drivers with conditions that the examiner will need to review. A better line: “Bring your medication list and any specialist letters you have.”

Under 15 USC 45, an ad that leaves a reasonable driver with a false impression can be deceptive, even if each word is technically true. Write speed claims so that a driver who is delayed would not feel misled by the ad that brought them in.

“Two-year card” and certificate length

49 CFR 391.45 says a driver must be examined and certified if they have not been in the preceding 24 months. It also lists drivers who must be examined more often, including drivers with insulin-treated diabetes certified under 391.46 and drivers certified under the vision standard in 391.44, every 12 months, and any driver whose ability to perform normal duties has been impaired by an injury or disease. The FMCSA training rule includes “determining operator certification outcome and period for which certification should be valid” as a topic examiners must learn (390.105(b)(7)).

So “up to 24 months” is accurate, and “2-year DOT card” on its own is a promise you cannot make for every driver. If a competitor advertises a “guaranteed 2-year card,” do not copy it.

Prices, free and discounted physicals

DOT and sports physicals are usually paid out of pocket or by an employer, so price ads are common. The FTC’s rules apply to them like any other service.

Advertise the price you charge. If urine testing, vision screening by a specialist, a drug test or a form fee costs extra, say so next to the price.
Keep DOT exams and drug tests apart. Drug testing is a separate service from the medical exam. “DOT physical $X” should not hide a bundled test, and “DOT physical and drug test” should show both prices if both are charged.
Use “free” only as 16 CFR 251.1 allows. A “free sports physical with any visit” must not be paid for by marking up the visit, and the conditions must be stated clearly in the offer.
Former prices must be real. “Was $X, now $Y” needs a regular price you actually charged in good faith for a reasonably substantial period (16 CFR 233.1).
Employer rates are a separate offer. Rates for carriers and employers belong on your employer page. Our guide to occupational and group discounts covers how to present them.

Self-pay patients may also be owed a good faith estimate in some cases. Our guide to good faith estimates for self-pay patients explains who the rule covers, and our guide to free consultation offers covers “free” wording for other services.

Sports physicals: schools, forms and minors

Sports physicals, also called pre-participation physical evaluations, are not federal DOT exams, and no federal registry applies to them. The required form, how often it is needed and who may sign it are set by states, school districts and athletic associations. Before you advertise, get the current form for each school or league you serve and confirm your clinicians may sign it in your state.

Say which forms you complete. “We complete your school’s sports physical form, bring it with you” sets the right expectation. “Accepted by every school” is a claim you would need to check school by school.
Describe the exam honestly. A short sports physical is not the same visit as a full well-child or annual exam. Do not suggest one replaces the other unless your clinicians do both in the same visit.
Send forms through the family. Under HIPAA, a covered provider generally needs a written authorization (45 CFR 164.508) to send health information to a school or coach. The narrow exception in 164.512(b)(1)(vi) covers only proof of immunization that a school must have, with the parent’s documented agreement. Handing the completed form to the parent avoids the question.
Event days need the same care. “Back-to-school physical day” events at a school or gym are ads too. Price, “free,” form and privacy rules apply on site.

Pages aimed at parents can also collect data from children. Our guide to COPPA for pediatric practice websites covers online forms for families.

Results, employers and privacy

DOT exams have their own reporting path. For drivers who must be examined by a listed examiner, the examiner must send the results form, MCSA-5850, to FMCSA by midnight local time of the next calendar day (391.43(g)(5)(i)(B)), and, for a qualified driver who does not need a CDL or CLP, must give a copy of the certificate to a prospective or current employing motor carrier who requests it (391.43(g)(2)(ii)). The carrier keeps driver qualification records under 391.51. HIPAA permits a disclosure that is required by law, limited to what the law requires (45 CFR 164.512(a)). The full Medical Examination Report is a different matter: it stays on file at the examiner’s office for at least 3 years (391.43(i)).

For marketing, that means:

Do not tell employers they will receive “full exam results” or “health reports” on drivers. Say what you will send, such as the certificate where the rule calls for it, and anything else the driver authorizes in writing.
Keep exam details out of employer emails, invoices and portal names.
Do not place advertising pixels on DOT or sports physical booking pages that would send the exam type and contact details to an ad platform. Our guide to tracking pixels on practice websites explains why.

Search, listings and ads

One clear page per service. “DOT physicals” and “sports physicals” are different searches from different people. Give each a page with location, hours, examiner availability, price and what to bring.
Google Business Profile. List the services you actually offer at each location. Our guide to Google Business Profile for doctors covers names, categories and services.
Ads that match the page. If the ad says walk-in and same-day, the landing page should say the same thing with the same conditions.
Reviews. A featured review that says “they passed me even with my blood pressure” is a claim about your exams that regulators and carriers may read differently than you do. Do not feature it.

Illustration: two versions of the same ad

This example is invented to show wording. It does not describe any real clinic.

Risky: “DOT-certified clinic. Guaranteed 2-year card in 20 minutes. Free sports physical with every DOT exam.”
Better: “DOT physicals by medical examiners listed on FMCSA’s National Registry, Monday to Friday 8 to 5. Walk in or book online. Most drivers get a decision the same day; some need more records first. Certificates last up to 24 months, as the examiner decides. Sports physicals $X, school form included.”

Checklist before a DOT or sports physical campaign

Every advertised location has a listed examiner during the advertised hours, checked on the National Registry.
No “DOT-certified clinic,” “FMCSA-approved” or “guaranteed pass” wording.
Same-day wording allows for delayed and not-qualified outcomes.
Certificate length stated as “up to 24 months,” not as a guarantee.
Prices show what is extra; “free” offers meet 16 CFR 251.1; former prices meet 16 CFR 233.1.
Sports physical forms checked for each school or league, and handed to the family unless a written authorization says otherwise.
Employer pages say exactly what the employer receives.
No ad pixels on exam booking pages.

How we help

We build service pages, Google Business Profile listings and ad campaigns for urgent care, occupational health and family practices, and we check the wording against the rules above before anything goes live. See how we approach medical lead generation.

Can we call our clinic DOT certified?

FMCSA certifies individual medical examiners and lists them on the National Registry (49 CFR 390.103, 391.43(a)). It does not certify clinics. Say that your DOT physicals are performed by medical examiners listed on the National Registry, if that is true at every advertised location and time.

Can we advertise a same-day DOT card?

You can say most drivers get a decision the same day if your records support it. You cannot promise a certificate, because the examiner may find the driver not qualified or delay the decision for up to 45 days to get more information (391.43(g)).

Can we say every DOT card lasts 2 years?

No. 24 months is the longest period between exams under 49 CFR 391.45. Some drivers, including drivers with insulin-treated diabetes and drivers certified under the vision standard, must be examined every 12 months, and the examiner decides the period.

Can we offer free sports physicals?

Yes, if the offer is truly free or meets the FTC Guide at 16 CFR 251.1 when tied to a purchase: the paid item cannot be marked up to cover it, and the conditions must be clear in the offer.

Can we send a completed sports physical form straight to the school?

Generally only with a written HIPAA authorization from the parent or adult patient (45 CFR 164.508). The exception in 164.512(b)(1)(vi) covers only required proof of immunization, with documented agreement. Handing the form to the family is the simplest route.

What does the employer get after a DOT physical?

For drivers who do not need a CDL or CLP, the examiner must give a copy of the certificate to a prospective or current employing motor carrier that requests it (391.43(g)(2)(ii)). For CDL and CLP holders, the examiner reports results to FMCSA electronically (391.43(g)(5)). Other health information needs the driver’s written authorization unless another HIPAA rule permits the disclosure.

Sources

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DOT and sports physical marketing: examiner, same-day and price claims