Before the holiday runs: what a PrDP medical certificate must show under regulation 117

The paper the supervisor should see is the certificate of fitness, not the raw clinical notes.

A driver collects his load on Friday 11/12. The PrDP on his licence runs out in the second week of February. He has a medical certificate from October, the day he renewed his licence last year, and he thinks it still counts.

It does not. Regulation 117 has a clock in it, and the clock is two months.

This article walks through what the regulations say, in the order a driver meets them, so that the holiday runs are not interrupted by a permit that cannot be renewed in time.

Who needs a PrDP

Regulation 115 lists the drivers who must hold a professional driving permit. They include the driver of a goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass over 3 500 kilograms, a breakdown vehicle, a bus, a minibus over 3 500 kilograms or designed for 12 or more people, a motor vehicle used to convey persons for reward or operated under an operating licence, and a vehicle conveying 12 or more persons including the driver.^[2]

Regulation 116 then splits permits into categories G, P and D. Category G covers goods vehicles and breakdown vehicles. Category P covers those and also buses, minibuses, vehicles carrying persons for reward and vehicles carrying 12 or more persons. Category D covers all the vehicles in regulation 115(1).^[3] The permit only applies to vehicles for which the holder also holds a valid driving licence.^[3]

What regulation 117 requires

A driving licence testing centre may not issue a PrDP unless the following conditions are met.^[1]

• The applicant holds a valid driving licence for the vehicle in question.
• For categories P and D, the applicant is at least 21 and 25 years old respectively.
• A registered medical practitioner or occupational health practitioner has examined the applicant to determine whether he or she is disqualified from driving under section 15(1)(f) of the Act, and has certified him or her medically fit on form MC (Schedule 2), not more than 2 months before the date of application.
• The applicant has not, in the previous five years, been convicted of, or paid an admission of guilt on, driving under the influence of liquor or a narcotic drug, driving over the statutory alcohol limit, or reckless driving. For categories P and D, an offence involving violence also counts.
• No PrDP or driving licence held by the applicant is suspended or cancelled.

Regulation 117(e) adds a training certificate requirement for category D from a date to be set by the Minister.^[1] Check with your testing centre whether that applies to a driver applying now.

What goes to the testing centre

Under regulation 118, the driver applies at a driving licence testing centre on form PD1. The application must be accompanied by:^[4]

1. The prescribed fee.
2. Acceptable identification.
3. Two photographs that comply with regulation 103(1).
4. The original driving licence.
5. The medical certificate on form MC.
6. Any other professional driving permit or public driving permit already held.

If a training certificate applies, it goes with the application as well.^[4] The testing centre checks the application, confirms the applicant is not disqualified and checks the register for suspensions. The South African Police Service is asked for a report of the convictions in regulation 117(c).^[4]

The two month window, in practice

The rule gives a driver a simple timeline. The medical must be done no more than 2 months before the date of application, so the application must follow the medical within that window.

The practical consequence for the holiday run is straightforward. A medical on 15/12 leaves roughly until mid February to apply. A medical in October leaves until mid December. Neither window is long once clinics and testing centres close, and Care Net's clinics are closed from 18/12/2026 to 04/01/2027. Check the dates yourself against your drivers' permit expiry, and plan backwards.

What the medical covers at Care Net

Care Net describes the PrDP medical as covering vision, hearing, blood pressure, blood sugar and overall fitness for categories G, P and D, including e-hailing drivers.^[5] It is an add-on at additional cost, because the occupational medicine practitioner completes an online verification and issues the additional documents.^[5] A worker should bring identification, glasses or hearing aids if used, and take chronic medication as usual.^[5]

We will not tell you a medical guarantees a permit. The testing centre decides whether the application meets regulation 117 and 118.

A short list before the holiday

1. List every driver, the category, and the PrDP expiry date.
2. Mark the date two months before each expiry, and the clinic closure dates.
3. Book the medicals so each driver can apply within two months of his or her medical.
4. Remind drivers what to bring to the testing centre.
5. Keep a copy of each certificate on file.

A permit that lapses on a Tuesday in January is a parked truck. A calendar entry in November prevents it.

Questions people ask

This article is general information for employers and is not legal or medical advice. Read the regulations for the full requirements and speak to a qualified practitioner about individual health concerns.