Arkansas CDL Medical Card Renewal: DOT Physical and Filing Deadlines

To handle an Arkansas CDL medical card renewal, get a new DOT physical from a certified medical examiner before your current Medical Examiner’s Certificate expires, then file the new certificate with the Arkansas Office of Driver Services in person, by email, or by mail. Miss the expiration date and a 60-day countdown starts; let that run out and the state downgrades your CDL.¹

When Your Current Card Expires

Look at the certificate itself. A standard Medical Examiner’s Certificate is valid for up to 24 months from the date the examiner signed it, not from the date Arkansas received it.² Several conditions shorten that window, so the printed expiration date is what matters:

Build in a cushion. Schedule your physical several weeks before that date so a borderline blood pressure reading or a paperwork snag doesn’t push you past the deadline.

Do You Actually Need to File One

Not every Arkansas CDL holder has to keep a medical card on file. When you self-certify your driving type with the state, you pick one of four categories, and only two of them require a medical certificate:⁴

Non-Excepted Interstate: regular commercial driving across state lines. Medical card required.
Non-Excepted Intrastate: driving only within Arkansas under state medical rules. Medical card required.¹
Excepted Interstate: interstate driving limited to specific activities like transporting school children, operating a fire truck in emergencies, or custom harvesting. No federal medical card required.
Excepted Intrastate: in-state driving for activities the state has determined don’t require certification. No card required.

If you run both interstate and intrastate, you must pick the interstate category. Arkansas asks you to reconfirm your driving type at every license transaction.¹

Getting the DOT Physical

The exam has to be performed by a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA’s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.⁵ That includes MDs, DOs, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and chiropractors who have completed FMCSA training.⁶ You can search the registry by location on the FMCSA website.

The examiner checks you against the physical qualification standards in 49 CFR 391.41: vision of at least 20/40 in each eye with a 70-degree field and the ability to distinguish red, green, and amber; hearing at a forced whisper from five feet or better; blood pressure under 140/90 for the full two-year card; and screening for cardiovascular disease, respiratory dysfunction, epilepsy, diabetes, and musculoskeletal issues.⁷ Corrective lenses and hearing aids are allowed.

Pass and the examiner issues Form MCSA-5876, the Medical Examiner’s Certificate.⁸ That form is what Arkansas needs. Expect to pay $50 to $150 out of pocket, with chiropractors and urgent care clinics typically at the lower end. Some employers cover the cost.

Filing the Certificate With Arkansas

Once you have the MCSA-5876, submit it to the Office of Driver Services one of three ways:¹

In person at any local revenue office.
By email to cdl.helpdesk@dfa.arkansas.gov.
By mail to Department of Finance and Administration, P.O. Box 1272, Room 1120, Little Rock, AR 72203-1272.

Self-certification updates can also be done online through the state’s MyDMV portal at dfa.arkansas.gov/office/mydmv/.¹ Once processed, the state updates your driving record with the new issuance date, expiration date, examiner credentials, and any restrictions. Don’t wait until the last day. If processing lags, your card can technically lapse even though you passed the exam on time.

The 60-Day Countdown After Expiration

The day your certificate expires without a replacement on file, the Office of Driver Services flips your status to “not certified.”¹ You then have 60 days to file a current certificate. Fail to submit within that window and the state downgrades your CDL, removing your commercial driving privileges.⁹ A downgraded CDL means you cannot legally operate any commercial motor vehicle that requires one.¹⁰

Your employer can see the change. Motor carriers check medical certification status and expiration dates through the Commercial Driver’s License Information System, so many companies will pull you off the road as soon as your status turns.¹⁰

Reinstating a Downgraded CDL

If the downgrade has already happened, your first step is the same: get a new DOT physical and file the current certificate with the Office of Driver Services.¹ Act within a year of the downgrade and that may be all it takes. The state can restore your privileges once your medical status is current.

Let the downgrade sit for 12 months or longer, and Arkansas requires you to retake every phase of the CDL exam: written knowledge tests and the driving skills test, as if you were a brand-new applicant.¹ The same rule applies if you voluntarily surrender your commercial license for a year or more.⁹ Between study time, testing fees, and weeks off the road, retesting costs far more than a timely DOT physical.

1
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Medical Certification/SPE/Waiver and Exemptions
2
eCFR. 49 CFR 391.45 – Persons Who Must Be Medically Examined and Certified
3
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Section 391.41(b)(6) – Driver Safety and Health Medical Requirements
4
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operation I Should Self-Certify To?
5
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners
6
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DOT Medical Exam and Commercial Motor Vehicle Certification
7
eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 – Physical Qualifications for Drivers
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical Examiners Certificate – Commercial Driver Medical Certification
9
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. State-by-State Instructions for Submitting Medical Certificates
10
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical