Have you been arrested for a driving while intoxicated while possessing a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)? The consequences can be quite severe. Lots of time and effort is exerted while obtaining a commercial driver’s license. A DWI on your record can easily take away all that demanding work. To obtain a Commercial Driver’s License, you must go through thorough medical examinations and meet strict training demands in the classroom and on the road. Most people have a CDL as a means for use it for their livelihood, and a drunk driving charge can seriously jeopardize it. If you have been charged with a DWI and you hold a Commercial Driver License, you must contact a lawyer immediately. Your driving while under the influence lawyer in NJ will know how your license will be affected in your state. Read on to learn answers to some frequent questions and consequences.
What Happens After the Arrest?
In the majority of states, if arrested for a drunk driving charge, you will lose your Commercial Driver’s License. The police don’t have to take away your license immediately, but it will certainly be taken away in the process. This means you won’t be able to drive your commercial vehicle at all. In many states, you will lose both your personal and commercial driver’s licenses. Also, have in mind that in some states, it doesn’t matter if you have committed DWI while driving your personal or commercial vehicle. Even if you are operating your own, personal vehicle, if convicted of the charge, both of your licenses will be suspended.
Many people think they can get a temporary license while fighting the case in court. However, once your CDL has been seized, you won’t be able to get a temporary license at any time, even you need to work. Federal regulations forbid this in most states in the US. If you are holding a CDL, the legal BAC level limit in most states of the US is 0.04. If you are caught driving a commercial vehicle with a BAC level higher than 0.04, you will be immediately charged, and arrested. As you probably know, this limit is half of the legal limit of .08 when driving a non-commercial vehicle. If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol, don’t refuse to submit to field sobriety tests. If you refuse to perform the tests, you risk automatically losing your commercial driver’s license for at least a year.
What Happens If You Get Convicted?
If you are convicted of driving while intoxicated for the first time, you could lose your CDL at least for a year. If you are charged and sentenced while driving a commercial vehicle, you will certainly lose both licenses for at least a year. The good news is that it’s possible to reinstate your license at some point. However, if you have been convicted of operating while intoxicated before, you will certainly lose your commercial driver’s license, even if you were driving a non-commercial vehicle at the time of arrest. The general rule in many states within the US is that, after your second DUI conviction, it is possible to get a lifetime ban of your driver’s license. The only way to avoid these severe consequences is to hire a lawyer to navigate you through the legal system and ensure you get the best possible outcome of the case.
