Impact of a Prince George’s County DUI on a CDL
DUIs are serious offenses, but the consequences could be even more serious for those who drive professionally. People with commercial driver’s licenses , also known as CDLs, could lose out on their ability to support themselves if convicted of a DUI offense. With so much at stake, it is important to work with a knowledgable attorney. If you want to know more about the impact of a Prince George’s County DUI on a CDL, consult an intelligent DUI lawyer that could further explain everything.
Qualifications One Must Meet to Get a CDL
The qualifications a person must meet in Prince George’s County to obtain a commercial driver’s license include testing and license requirements. Just like a driving test, a person has to be qualified and be able to handle a larger vehicle. There is a certain review that is much more intensive and comprehensive than a regular driver’s license. It is like regular classes for a regular driving offense.
How DUI Charges Could Impact Employment
The impact of a Prince George’s County DUI on a CDL could heavily impact someone’s employment opportunities, even if they are not convicted and the criminal charge goes away. If they blow high enough or refuse, they are still subject to a six-month or longer suspension. Even if a person is ineligible to get a restricted license, a person may not have a CDL and a restriction. By virtue of restriction, they would not have their CDL for at least six months.
Commercially-licensed drivers are expected to uphold higher standard, because their job is to drive. If they get a DUI while driving a CDL vehicle, the sanctions are even greater.
Treatment of DUI Cases Involving People with CDLs
Unless the person was driving a CDL vehicle, typically the court handles these cases the same as any other driver, although there are families that need to be taken into consideration. For example, the average citizen that has a regular license and gets probation for a DUI versus a DWI, it makes no difference. For a CDL driver that gets probation for a DUI, it is a one-year disqualification of their CDL. If it is a DWI, it does not affect their CDL. An attorney who has handled these cases and is familiar with the rules know that it is important to make sure it is done right to save a CDL.
Driving as a source of employment does not impact the way the criminal courts in PG County treat DUI charges. It could change the way the administrative courts do regarding suspensions and ability to drive. When one says “drive for work”, it is not just a CDL driver. It could be delivery, like for Amazon. The difficulty may be if someone is required to have interlock and how they are going to drive if they kept one of the company vehicles. While there are ways of getting an exemption to allow that and other possibilities, only a skilled attorney familiar with the field would know how to go about doing that.
Consequences of a DUI Conviction
The consequences of the charge does not affect anything, because it is an accusation and someone could be exonerated if found not guilty. Their CDL is fully intact until there has been an adversarial hearing on the matter. Once someone is convicted, it is a one-year disqualification of the CDL.
The long-term implications of a DUI conviction on a CDL holder include not getting their CDL back. Also, a prospective employer may see the DUI on their record and not want to hire the individual for liability reasons.
Restricted Licenses for First-Time DUI Offenses
There is only a restricted license available for the first-time CDL DUI offense as far as the personal vehicle goes. If a citizen who is a regular driver blows a 0.12, instead of a six-month suspension they could get a six-month restriction to allow them to drive for work, school, or medical necessities. A CDL holder has the same option if they blow a 0.12. The problem is a CDL license may not have a restriction. If it is restricted, it is not so much to disqualify but more a matter of the CDL goes away while the restriction is in place. It means they would not be able to drive a CDL vehicle during the restrictive period.
The impact of a Prince George’s County DUI on a CDL if someone has committed these offenses before is that they are not going to have a CDL anymore. If the priors were before the CDL happened, that is one thing. While someone has a CDL, if they get more than one DUI, they are going to lose the CDL for at least ten years if not up to life.
How a Prince George’s County DUI Attorney Could Help
One of the things attorneys could do for CDL holders so that they could continue to work is to challenge the suspension and challenge the case. If the case is found not guilty, tossed out, or goes in the favor of the driver, there would be no suspension and no restriction. Sometimes the police have the evidence they need and it goes into mitigating the harm and reducing the potential exposure to a loss of a CDL. If an individual needs help assessing and trying to mitigate the impact of a Prince George’s County DUI on a CDL, they should speak with a knowledgeable attorney who could help.