Commercial Driver's Licenses

Commercial Driver's Licenses

A DUI conviction can affect a CDL holder as follows:

Regardless of whether the DUI offense was committed in a personal or commercial work vehicle, the penalties are the same. The per se level or legal limit for someone possessing a CDL and driving a commercial vehicle is .04 % BAC.

In addition to the consequences you will face regarding your personal driver’s license, you will also have a 1-year CDL disqualification. If the DUI offense occurred while in the commercial vehicle, you will face an additional year loss of your CDL, and 3 years if you were transporting hazardous chemicals. If you have a second DUI conviction, your CDL will be banned for life.

It is important to note that Acceptance into an Advanced Rehabilitative Disposition Program does not reduce the suspension of your CDL. The only way to avoid the suspension or disqualification is to fight the DUI arrest with a verdict of not guilty, or negotiate the DUI charge being dropped to a new charge that doesn’t have a CDL suspension.