Commercial Driver (DOT) Hearing Standard: Whisper Test or Audiometric Average (FMCSA)
Whether a commercial driver meets the DOT hearing standard: a forced whisper at 5 feet, or a better-ear average of no more than 40 dB.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Better ear, 500 Hz
- 54
- Better ear, 1,000 Hz
- 50
- Better ear, 2,000 Hz
- 48.5
- Audiometer calibration
- ISO (converted to ANSI)
Result: Better-ear average 40 dB at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 Hz (ISO converted to ANSI: 40, 40, 40 dB)
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What you enter
- Forced whisper first perceived in the better ear at (feet)
- Better ear, 500 Hz (dB)
- Better ear, 1,000 Hz (dB)
- Better ear, 2,000 Hz (dB)
- Audiometer calibration
How this is calculated
Citation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 49 CFR 391.41(b)(11) (the forced whisper at 5 feet, or a better-ear average of no more than 40 dB at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 Hz), and 49 CFR Part 391 Appendix A, section I (ISO-to-ANSI conversion). Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.