Truck drivers regularly drive vehicles that weigh anywhere from 25 to 80 tons. This means that they can represent a significant danger to other drivers on the road. Unsurprisingly, the government creates regulations that dictate who is allowed to drive these massive vehicles.

Under these regulations, your Commercial Driver's License (CDL) is immediately suspended for one year if you are convicted of a DUI. If you are convicted of a second DUI, you will lose your CDL for life. 

How Can You Get a CDL With a DUI on Your Record?

If you have a DUI on your record, you will not be able to get a CDL right away. If you are in this situation, you will have to be patient.

California requires you to wait until the suspension is over. Furthermore, you must have completed any required alcohol education program, and your fines and fees must have been paid in full. Any points on your record related to the DUI must be gone as well. To remove points in a reasonable amount of time, you may have to attend traffic school.

Only after all of this has been done can you apply for a new CDL or reinstatement of your lost CDL. Whether this is a first-time license or reinstatement, you will still need to complete all the normal requirements.

All these rules, though, assume that you only have a single DUI that did not involve factors like transporting hazardous materials. If you have two or more DUIs, you will be permanently prevented from ever getting a CDL.

Trucking Companies and DUIs

Unfortunately, just because the government lets you get a CDL, that does not mean that you will ever drive a commercial vehicle. Often, trucking companies decline to hire someone who has a DUI on their record.

The trucking company is taking a risk whenever it hires a driver. That risk is perceived as much higher for a driver who has been convicted of a DUI. Typically, their insurance company will charge a lot more to insure someone who has a DUI on their record. Some insurance companies may even refuse to insure that driver.

Additionally, the trucking company may think that someone who has one DUI conviction is likely to drive under the influence again. That may be a risk they do not want to take. Thus, you might convince the DMV to give you a CDL and then never successfully find a company willing to employ you.

A DUI Limits Your Commercial Trucking Opportunities

While you can potentially get a CDL even if you have a DUI on your license, that does not necessarily mean you will ever drive again. Insurance companies and trucking companies have internal policies that can effectively prevent you from driving even when the state lets you drive commercial vehicles.

And that assumes that you only have one DUI on your record. If you have two or more, you will never legally drive a commercial vehicle again. If you have a CDL and are charged with a DUI, you need to avoid a conviction at court and you need to win your DMV hearing as well. Hiring an attorney with a solid track record of handling DUI cases involving commercial drivers is a necessity if you want to have a career as a commercial driver.

The Crawford Law Firm, Inc., is located in Santa Cruz County, California, providing representation for DUI Defense, DUI Marijuana, DUI Drugs, and Vehicular Manslaughter. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.