What Happens When A Commercial Driver Gets Arrested For DWI?

While drunk driving has serious consequences for anyone, those with a CDL license may find that the repercussions are even more serious. If you are a commercial driver and are charged with DWI, whether or not you were driving your commercial vehicle at the time of your arrest you can still lose your CDL license.

How the law works is that if you are driving a commercial vehicle as a CDL license holder and are stopped, you cannot have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over a 0.04. For non-commercial drivers the blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.08 so you’re already at a disadvantage. The difference is that even if you are not driving a commercial vehicle during the time of your arrest and have a BAC of 0.08, you may not only lose your regular driver’s license but you may lose your CDL license as well.

This can affect your livelihood since you can no longer drive – residentially and commercially. If you are a commercial driver, not being able to perform your work duties most likely means losing your job.

The first thing to do if you are charged with a DWI is to obtain legal representation. If you are charged with drunk driving and hold a CDL license, it is even more imperative that you do so as soon as possible. Without the professional help you need you are putting your way of life and job at risk.

Along with penalties and fines, you can’t afford to lose your income at the same time which is why it is important to ensure that you have someone that can build a solid defense in order to help you when it’s time to face the charges.