Whilst the doctor completes the D4 medical for you, to reduce the costs you will need to complete the D2 form yourself. For more information on how to complete your D2 or D47P form please visit the DVLA website.
Yes. You must take photographic ID with you.
We screen all drivers’ urine to check for glucose levels, which can sometimes indicate signs of diabetes. Follow the link to see what the rules are from the DVLA. Diabetes Driving. We provide urine bottles and toilet facilities. It is very important the urine sample in done onsite to ensure it’s a fresh true sample of the client coming for the examination.
There are no special qualifications for conducting the HGV medical test. Any doctor registered in the UK can be utilised. That means you can go to your NHS GP or a private physician in your local area. But keep in mind that both options will cost you and the doctor you choose must be able to perform the medical test and the vision test. Both options have pros and cons:
Your GP will perform the HGV medical but will charge for their time, often very high amounts. Whilst you may be more comfortable using your GP and they will be very close to where you live, they will often charge very high amounts for their time, and will not be used to filling out the D4 form. This may lead to hold-ups at the DVLA as they request clarification from your GP due to unclear answers. Your GP may also be very busy, causing significant delay in getting your assessment booked.
Private Doctors have shorter waiting times and more flexible scheduling options. They are often far cheaper than an examination by your GP and they do this day-in, day-out meaning they are efficient and know how to answer the form in a way the DVLA will understand. Specialised HGV would always recommend this option as it is often cheaper, quicker, and with a greater chance of being filled out correctly.
Any Doctor who holds full registration with the GMC (General Medical Council) and is licensed to practise medicine in the UK can complete the DVLA D4 Driver Medical. This can be your own GP or a private firm like Fast Medicals, whose Doctors specialise in D4 medicals. Additionally EU registered Doctors can complete the D4 medical for drivers who have the medical completed outside the UK.
You can access the D4 medical form online.
We cannot issue D2 forms. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic you could order your pack from here by post: gov.uk/dvlaforms, please re-visit this page for DVLA updates.
Alternatively some post offices stock D2 forms or failing that your local HGV/PCV training school should have spare copies. If you are renewing your group 2 licence you will be sent a D47P renewal form from DVLA, this is only available by post.
Yes. Please bring a list of your medications with you.
DVLA changed the rules in 2013 so that, so long as your vision with glasses is okay, you don’t have to pass any particular test without your glasses or contact lenses. However, for no reason that we can see, DVLA still insist that the doctor tests your eyesight without your glasses or contact lenses. It doesn’t matter what the result says, but if the measurement isn’t done, DVLA will send the form back to you. Strange, we know – but there it is!
If you are coming for a taxi medical you don’t need to have your eyes tested without your glasses, so long as your vision is okay with your glasses on.
You cannot go back to driving a lorry or bus for at least six weeks after a heart attack. You will need to have a treadmill test and you will need to be able to keep going for nine minutes on the treadmill test as well as satisfying other requirements during the test. You must not be continuing to suffer from angina.
The medical standards for blackouts and fits is complicated and the rules depend on the exact type of episode. For a definite simple faint DVLA may well not take away your licence. For a full-blown epileptic fit, you would lose your licence for at least ten years. For other types of lost consciousness different rules apply. Please contact us for more information if this applies to you.
New rules were issued in 2011 which allow diabetics on insulin to hold a DVLA group 2 licence. However, there are quite strict requirements. You need to get a statement every year from a diabetes consultant to say that you are taking care of your diabetes and are checking your blood sugar levels at least twice a day, and that you use a machine which remembers the last three months’ measurements. There are some other requirements including understanding about diabetes and signing a declaration yourself.
If you take tablets which belong to the sulphonylurea or glinide families there are strict rules which were introduced in March 2016. These require you to do a finger prick blood test “at least twice a day and at times relevant to driving, i.e. within two hours of starting to drive and then every two hours whilst driving”. Also, you need to keep fast acting carbohydrate, such as glucose tablets, within easy reach when driving. You also need to have a “clear understanding of diabetes and the necessary precautions for safe driving”.
Common medications within this group are gliclazide, glimepiride, and tablets ending in …glinide, although there are several others.
Other treatments for diabetes, such as metformin, don’t have such strict requirements and don’t require regular finger prick testing.
Don’t worry. The doctor will refer you to your optician to get your eyes retested, which may result in you needing glasses for driving a Group 2 vehicle. After they have signed your form off its good to go to the DVLA.
– Take a blood pressure reading (if you have high blood pressure the doctor will take a further 3 readings)
– Carry out an eye tests with and without glasses if worn for driving.
– Test via dipstick your urine for possible signs of diabetes
– List on the D4 Form any medication you may be currently taking
– Ask some questions about previous medical history
– Height will be recorded
– Weight will be recorded
Don’t worry, when you book with us we email you a copy of the D4 for you to print OFF and attend with. Please note, our doctors do not keep spare copies with them as it is the drivers responsibility to attend with the necessary paperwork. If you require a taxi medical most councils issue a medical form specific to them and you may need to bring your medical records with you. Please check with your licensing authority if you can have your medical completed privately, our doctors do not have access to your medical records.
If you have a significant medical condition you would generally need to inform the medical department at DVLA. Short-term acute illnesses, or injuries such as broken limbs, which are expected to recover normal function, do not normally need to be notified. Drivers can notify DVLA by telephoning the medical department, writing to DVLA, or downloading a medical notification form from the DVLA web site and returning that. DVLA will send an acknowledgement to the driver.
• Photo ID
• Your driving glasses/contact lenses & prescription
• Details of any ongoing medical conditions plus any medication you are taking
• DVLA STANDARD 2 MEDICAL FORM CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
• HGV and PCV drivers must have medicals throughout their careers:
• First application of your provisional Category C1 (7.5t), C (rigid) or D1 (minibus), D (bus) licence
• When you turn 45 you will need to do another medical followed by one every 5 years after that
DVLA divide anxiety and depression into two types; a minor category and a more serious category. The minor category is described as “Very minor short-lived illnesses of anxiety or depression without significant memory or concentration problems, agitation, behavioural disturbance, or suicidal thoughts.”
The more serious category is defined as “More severe anxiety states or depressive illnesses with significant memory or concentration problems, agitation, behavioural disturbance, or suicidal thoughts.”
For the minor category, the person does not need to tell DVLA and it does not affect the person’s entitlement to hold a licence provided that any medication is not causing any problems with driving.
For the more serious category, DVLA will generally suspend a person’s group 2 licence (or not give a licence to a new applicant) until the person has been well and stable for six months and until they are satisfied that medication is not causing any side-effects which would interfere with alertness or concentration.
The above is a general summary rather than an exact and full quotation of the DVLA guidelines.
This varies from one licensing authority to another. If you are planning to have your medical a long time before you want to apply for your licence, we suggest you check with your licensing officer before booking your appointment.
The form is valid for four months. It must reach DVLA within four months of the medical otherwise it is no use to DVLA.
You can apply to renew your licence up to three months before the renewal date.
Approximately 15 minutes but if your medical history is complicated expect it to take longer.
The eyesight standards for group 2 (LGV and PCV) drivers are higher than for car drivers. Car drivers simply need to be able to pass the standard number plate test using both eyes together, but group 2 drivers need to have reasonable vision in both eyes. Drivers Vision/Eyesight Test for a PDF version of our guide to the eyesight test.
We always try to see drivers quickly and at times to suit you so there is no need to take time off work but our clinic are very popular so please get in touch as soon as possible. Book online and we will be able to offer you a range of appointments.
All the necessary information is on the DVLA web site, and the medical forms are available to download.
Book online and pay securely with a Debit or Credit Card Online! Select your own appointment.
Yes, it does. If you do wear contact lenses when driving please do not wear them for your medical examination.
DVLA take very seriously the removal of a driver’s vocational licence and will only revoke (withdraw) a licence once there is definite evidence of a relevant medical condition. When a driver first notifies DVLA of an illness, DVLA will write back to the driver acknowledging receipt of the notification, and will start making medical inquiries. This will often include writing to the person’s GP or consultant. At this stage they will generally NOT revoke the driver’s licence. This means that even though a driver may have a serious medical condition, at this stage, he will probably still hold a current driver’s licence. However, no driver is permitted to drive any vehicle if he is medically unfit to do so, so once a driver knows he has a medical condition, whether or not he holds a valid licence to drive, he must only drive if he is fit to do so. In cases of uncertainty, he should take advice from his doctors. The fact that he may still have a valid licence does not automatically mean he is permitted to continue driving.
Yes.
We carry out an eye test with every medical and this is included in the price. For those drivers that wear glasses for driving, you will need to bring a recent prescription (within 2 years- 1year if diabetic) from your Optician to your appointment.
You can visit any GMC qualified doctor for a driver medical. In some cases taxi drivers will have to visit their own GP depending on their council’s rules in regards to medical history, please check with your licensing authority before booking your appointment. We also advise that if you have an extensive medical history or currently taking multiple prescription medications that you should attend an appointment with your own GP as this could delay your application to the DVLA.
The doctor completing all group 2 and taxi medicals does not make the decision whether you pass or fail. The doctors are purely instructed by the DVLA to complete an examination for the DVLA to make a decision. However if you have a fork lift truck or safety critical medical with us the doctor will make the decision if you have passed or failed the medical. Please note if the doctor finds anything that may be of concern he will make you aware of this and may not release your medical form.
Of course, we email a VAT receipt out alongside your appointment confirmation.
For a routine DVLA medical to apply for a provisional HGV/PCV licence, or to renew your licence, DVLA allow you to go to any registered doctor. For hackney carriage licences, the rules are more complicated, because some licensing authorities allow you to go to any doctor, some authorities require you to go to the approved council doctor, and some authorities say that you must have the medical with your own GP, so you need to check with your licensing officer before you book your appointment with us.