# The Ultimate Ambulance Drivers License Thread (CA)



## ghost02 (Feb 23, 2015)

Hey everyone,

I see alot of threads asking questions on the Ambulance Drivers License around these parts, and I figured it would be a good idea to make a definitive post on this.

First of all, we are talking about a license that is required in the state of CA to drive an ambulance. This has nothing to do with the nickname Ambulance Drivers in the common sense. This is a very particular thing. Anywho...

_What is it?_
If you live in California, and wish to drive an Ambulance, you must have an Ambulance Drivers license. This license expires when your current license does, and requires both a valid DL51 (Medical Exam) and a Medical Examiners Certificate to be valid

_How do I get it?_
1. You must have a livescan performed that is separate from all other livescans, so yes, you do need to go pay for another one. The DMV will have the paperwork necessary for this. The livescan can take a few days for process. Ensure to tell the DMV that the livescan is incoming, and keep the receipt that has all the pertinent information on it.
2. You must have a valid DL51 (Downloadable from the DMV website) performed by a member of the NRCME, https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/NRPublicUI/home.seam failure to ensure your physician, NP, PA is licensed will render the DL51 null and void. Ensure all areas are properly filled out or it will be null and void. Ensure there is an office stamp. There will be a white piece of paper at the end that is your Medical Examiners Certificate, it is valid for up to 2 years, and must be renewed every 2 years and sent to the DMV in order to re certify or for the ADC to be valid. Also, employers need a copy of this.
3. Prepare for the ADC test. This is a simple written test, you can get a copy of the handbook for it from the DMV for $5.00.
4. Go to DMV with livescan receipt, Complete DL51, Medical Examiners Certificate, current drivers license, and money. Take the test, then you get your Temp ADC (Pink paper) that is valid for 180 days.
5. Receive ADC in the mail, it is white. Keep up your Medical Examiners Certificate by ensuring that your DL51 is sent to the DMV 3 months prior to it expiring.
6. When time comes to recert, have current DL51 on file, have current Medical Examiners Certificate, pay money and retake test. Also, if you did not have your EMT at the time of initial certification, it is now required.

_Hey, I have a medical condition!_

1. Almost any box marked Yes on the DL51 will get your certification pulled for review, _even if your medical examiner signs off on the DL51 as passed_. The process is as follows.
2. You will receive a revocation notice from the DMV. You have 10 days to schedule a hearing for it, ensure that your hearing will be in person (Could be 2-3 months before next open slot).
3. Go to hearing will paperwork from your Primary Care Physician, Specialists, and any other relevant information. Ensure you have copies of all of this to give to your hearing officer. He will write a recommendation, which is not binding, to the Ambulance Review Board.
4. This will then be sent to the Ambulance Review Board. They meet once a month and is composed of a DMV official, CHP official, and a member of the EMSA. They will then render a verdict based off of the Hearing Officers recommendation. The options are to: Set Aside the action, Sustain the Action, Remand the Action to Hearing Officer, or to Modify.
5. You will then be notified by mail of the decision.
6. If the decision is to issue you your ADC, then you will get it in the mail sent from Commercial services.

All in all, this process takes approximately 6 months.

_Oh no! There was a problem!_
1. Didn't receive your ADC within 180 days? Call commercial services. Their line is almost always busy but keep on pluggin. 916 657 5771 OR 916 657 8849
2. I failed the test! You have 2 more opportunities.
3. I can't find a Medical Examiner! You must have your DL51 performed by one.
4. My DL51 expired! You are now out of service and it is illegal to drive and ambulance and your ADC is invalid until you have both a Medical Examiners Certificate in hand and the DMV has a current DL51 on file. This could take 3 months for processing.
5. I have ANY OTHER QUESTION: Call Sacramento Driver Safety HQ Special Certificates line at : 916 657 6418. This is the direct, and easiest line.

Hopefully this helps some people out and can stop some repeated threads. If you have any questions, ask at the number provided above, and then post your Q/A here so we can supplement this FAQ.
-Ghost


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## NomadicMedic (Feb 24, 2015)

Suggest this become a sticky!


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## Ewok Jerky (Feb 24, 2015)

Sticky please!


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## Aprz (Feb 24, 2015)

It should be stickied in every section of the forum just in case, lol. Y'know if you stickied in the EMS Talk, BLS Discussion, Education and Training, EMS Lounge, and EMS Employment, people would start posting questions about the ambulance driver certificate in ALS Discussion probably and completely miss all the sections that it is posted on, lol.


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## ghost02 (Feb 24, 2015)

I just realized how many grammatical errors there are. Oh well, to late to edit now.


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## FL2211 (Jul 9, 2015)

Hi all! I've got a unique ambulance driver cert question.

I'm about to get my first ever ambulance driver certificate (so that I can put my recently earned EMT-1 to use!) I already have everything necessary done (medical exam, live scans, study, etc.)

I saw on the DMV website that ambulance driver certificate is tied to your drivers license, and expires when your drivers license expires. Here's the problem: my drivers license expires in early september, and my new one won't arrive in the mail for up to 60 days! (I submitted a renewal via online form yesterday.)

I'd really rather not wait 60 days to start looking for work with an ambulance company. On the other hand, I don't want to confuse the DMV by applying for an ambulance driver cert while I'm transitioning between old/new drivers licenses.

So my question is: should I get my ambulance drivers certificate now, or should I wait until my new drivers license comes in the mail 1-2 months from now?

Thanks all


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## Jim37F (Jul 9, 2015)

I highly doubt it'll take the full 60 days to get your new DL card in the mail. I just renewed mine within the last month or so, only took a week or two for it to arrive. Since most DMV offices don't normally deal with a whole ton of ADLs on any sort of a regular basis, you really don't want them to get ripped up by a silly thing like a mismatch between your card and the computer system (I.e. if you're patient and wait for your your new DL in the mail you eliminate the possibility of a DMV employee of giving you an ADL with an expiration date of within the next 2 months because that's what your old card says)


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## gonefishing (Jul 9, 2015)

FL2211 said:


> Hi all! I've got a unique ambulance driver cert question.
> 
> I'm about to get my first ever ambulance driver certificate (so that I can put my recently earned EMT-1 to use!) I already have everything necessary done (medical exam, live scans, study, etc.)
> 
> ...


Do it now.  They give it to you on the spot.  The one that gets mailed back is the same peice of paper.


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## Jdog (Jan 11, 2018)

Reviving this thread since I'm having trouble finding a definitive answer this one question. I need to renew my DMV Ambulance Driver Certificate for the first time. Do I need to have another Live Scan done?


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## DesertMedic66 (Jan 11, 2018)

Jdog said:


> Reviving this thread since I'm having trouble finding a definitive answer this one question. I need to renew my DMV Ambulance Driver Certificate for the first time. Do I need to have another Live Scan done?


No. To renew you have to have the medical clearance form completed, have a new drivers license (your ambulance license expired the same time as your normal drivers license), and to retake the test.


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## Cameron Bates (Jul 10, 2018)

Reviving this thread because I am having difficulty obtaining my ambulance license due to a minor car collision that happened a year ago that is on my record. There was no injuries nor damages yet the DMV says the the status of my Ambulance application is “pending.” I have done all the prior necessary steps in order to obtain this license. The DMV seems to give me the run around and will not give me an estimated time on when I will receive any information regarding my denial or approval. I’ve tried numerous times calling Sacramento and my local DMV. This license is the only thing preventing me from gaining employment.
I have no previous convictions, tickets, or points on my record other than this minor collision.


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## luke_31 (Jul 10, 2018)

Cameron Bates said:


> Reviving this thread because I am having difficulty obtaining my ambulance license due to a minor car collision that happened a year ago that is on my record. There was no injuries nor damages yet the DMV says the the status of my Ambulance application is “pending.” I have done all the prior necessary steps in order to obtain this license. The DMV seems to give me the run around and will not give me an estimated time on when I will receive any information regarding my denial or approval. I’ve tried numerous times calling Sacramento and my local DMV. This license is the only thing preventing me from gaining employment.
> I have no previous convictions, tickets, or points on my record other than this minor collision.


Welcome to the CA DMV where they lose everything, don't know their own policies, take their sweet time with everything, and only one person who doesn't answer their phone is the only one who can help you (regardless of why you are calling it will never be the person who answers the phone). That last part also applies if you get a letter with a number and name to call.  Don't bother the local office, if Sacramento has your paperwork they are the only ones who can approve or deny the cert. if they gave you the temporary cert you should be able to use that to gain employment.  Especially since on a normal basis it takes forever to get the permanent cert.


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## Cameron Bates (Jul 10, 2018)

luke_31 said:


> Welcome to the CA DMV where they lose everything, don't know their own policies, take their sweet time with everything, and only one person who doesn't answer their phone is the only one who can help you (regardless of why you are calling it will never be the person who answers the phone). That last part also applies if you get a letter with a number and name to call.  Don't bother the local office, if Sacramento has your paperwork they are the only ones who can approve or deny the cert. if they gave you the temporary cert you should be able to use that to gain employment.  Especially since on a normal basis it takes forever to get the permanent cert.


I was in the Lancaster DMV for nine hours trying to get this situated, finally someone told me I could take the ambulance test but I will not receive any sort of certificate nor temporary certificate, they told me they were unsure of what I could do, however they told me that it would take 4 weeks at the minimum to process the request in Sacramento. I can’t even get a job on a code 2 ambulance service. I called the DMV commercial drivers line and they said they hadn’t even received my paperwork and it’s been close to a month. I have already passed the ambulance test and paid, but haven’t received a single thing.


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## luke_31 (Jul 10, 2018)

Go back to the office and see if your paperwork is still there. If it didn't get mailed that could be part of the issue


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## Podag (Aug 31, 2018)

Hi I have an ambulance license that expired in March and I'm now trying to get a new one. I already got a DL51, do I need to get another live scan? Because on the DMV website it says If you have held an active Occupational License issued by DMV in the past 3 years, you may not require a new set of prints".


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## Qulevrius (Sep 11, 2018)

No. Just show up to the DMV & take the written test.


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## Qulevrius (Sep 24, 2018)

Somewhat related:

Are there nationally recognized safety guidelines for ambulance hours operation ? I know that ambulances are mostly exempt from OSHA standards, but does anyone know of a written federal policy for continuous hours of operation, fatigue limits etc ?


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## luke_31 (Sep 24, 2018)

Qulevrius said:


> Somewhat related:
> 
> Are there nationally recognized safety guidelines for ambulance hours operation ? I know that ambulances are mostly exempt from OSHA standards, but does anyone know of a written federal policy for continuous hours of operation, fatigue limits etc ?


None that I know of and I work for a federal entity.


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## TheEleventhHour (Sep 24, 2018)

Getting my Ambulance Cert was probably the most annoying part of getting a job as an EMT. The test itself was simple & I'm glad I read the $5 handbook but I did notice like 20/30 of the questions were either exact or a variation of the downloadable flashcards you can find on Google. You can take the test up to 3 times in the same day & can only get 4 wrong. Luckily I passed on the first attempt.


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## chriscemt (Sep 25, 2018)

Qulevrius said:


> Somewhat related:
> 
> Are there nationally recognized safety guidelines for ambulance hours operation ? I know that ambulances are mostly exempt from OSHA standards, but does anyone know of a written federal policy for continuous hours of operation, fatigue limits etc ?



Noooope.


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## Cdurham0510 (Dec 8, 2020)

Ye


ghost02 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I see alot of threads asking questions on the Ambulance Drivers License around these parts, and I figured it would be a good idea to make a definitive post on this.
> 
> ...


yes! Thank you for posting this thread


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