Bethesda CDL DUI Lawyer
When facing a DUI charge, an individual can expect severe consequences. These penalties are compounded when the individual in question possesses a commercial’s driver’s license (CDL). The impact of a Bethesda DUI on a CDL can cause an individual their job, and difficulty obtaining a new source of income.
If you have been charged with a DUI in Bethesda on your CDL, it is important that you contact an attorney immediately. A seasoned Bethesda CDL DUI lawyer will be able to aid in effectively reducing or dismissing your charges.
Severity of a DUI on a CDL
A criminal charge for a CDL is held to a higher standard than for people with regular driver’s licenses. That is because someone with a commercial driver’s license is responsible for driving other people’s vehicles. They transport sensitive materials in that person’s vehicle, drive for longer periods of time on the roadways, and drive vehicles that are larger and more difficult to maneuver.
With the special privilege of a CDL, the impact of a Bethesda DUI could be higher. An individual is held to a different set of standards and a higher level of responsibility. Someone with a CDL can more quickly lose their privileges to drive than a standard driver, based on a blood alcohol concentration level in their system.
People who have CDLs should be extremely careful, because they rely on their commercial driver’s license for their employment and earning income. Without maintaining that CDL, they could potentially lose their employment and that is a large component of maintaining a job with their current employer.
Potential Penalties
A CDL holder in Bethesda charged with a DUI should expect the same consequences that other drivers face. Those are the possibility of jail time, probation, and being required by the court to participate in alcohol education programs. There are other consequences that the court may impose as well.
Maintaining Employment
Sometimes, a person who is charged but not convicted may soon lose their ability to work because there may be administrative sanctions through the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) that have nothing to do with the outcome of the case in criminal court. The MVA automatically takes action against an individual’s privilege as a CDL driver based on the breathalyzer test results or other chemical test results associated with a traffic stop.
Sometimes, arguments can be made at the MVA about why someone should not lose their commercial driver’s license. Those arguments include the reliability of any breathalyzer or any chemical tests being presented to the MVA to make their determination. If any test is not reliable, the MVA would likely take no action against the commercial driver.
Long-Term Implications
The long-term impact of a Bethesda DUI conviction a CDL driver can experience is the loss of their privilege to drive for a period of time for the first offense. When they receive second or subsequent offenses, they could lose their privilege to drive for longer periods of time or lose the ability to drive a CDL at all, with a permanent restriction against them from ever obtaining a CDL.
People who rely on their commercial driver’s license to earn money have a difficult time seeking employment with continued violations of the Motor Vehicle Administration’s requirements when it comes to commercial driver’s licenses. Thereby making it imperative that a Bethesda CDL DUI attorney is contacted.