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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations set a blood pressure standard for drivers of commercial motor vehicles as part of the overall physical qualification standards.
The standard for blood pressure is “general” in nature, in that an individual must have “no current clinical diagnosis of high blood pressure likely to interfere with the driver's ability to operate a motor vehicle safely.”
To provide more specific guidance, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration prepared the Medical Advisory Criteria to aid the medical examiner in making a physical qualification determination. The medical criteria for blood pressure are far more detailed than the regulation. The steps to follow for the three recognized stages of hypertension are outlined as follows:
Reading | Category | Expiration Date | Recertification |
---|---|---|---|
140-159/90-99 | Stage 1 | 1 year | 1 year if ≤140/90. One-time certificate for 3 months if ≥141-159/91-99. |
160-179/100-109 | Stage 2 | One-time certificate for 3 months | 1 year from date of exam if ≤140/90. |
≥180/110 | Stage 3 | Disqualified until ≤140/90 | 6 months from date of exam if ≤140/90, then every 6 months if ≤140/90. |