Many people get accused of driving while intoxicated (DWI) every year. People of all ages and backgrounds enjoy alcohol. If they get pulled over on their way home after a party or a dinner out with friends, they may end up facing DWI charges.
The standard penalties for a DWI include license suspension, fines and incarceration. Some people may also face significant secondary consequences. Transportation professionals who have commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) are at greater risk in a DWI scenario.
There are three important ways in which DWI allegations differ for those in the commercial transportation sector. Professional drivers need to be aware of these differences so that they can respond appropriately after an arrest. What do professional drivers need to know about DWIs?
1. Rules are stricter while on the clock
A professional operating a semi-truck, school bus or other commercial vehicle has to comply with stricter laws than those driving personal vehicles. While most people are subject to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of 0.08%, the limit is far stricter for those driving commercial vehicles.
Police officers can arrest professional drivers for a BAC of 0.04%, even though they may not notice any significant impairment at that level.
2. Drivers can lose their CDLs
Regardless of whether the DWI occurs while on the clock or on personal time, the professional accused may become ineligible for a CDL. The first DWI conviction a driver gets leaves them ineligible for 12 months.
Subsequent offenses may result in lifetime ineligibility in some cases. Unless the driver fights back against their DWI charges, their short-term professional opportunities are at risk, and the consequences could be much more serious if they have prior offenses on their record.
3. Their careers are at risk
On the one hand, the demand for commercial transportation professionals has never been higher. Many transportation companies are in a state of perpetual hiring. They may never secure enough drivers to keep their rosters full and meet their clients’ needs. While companies do sometimes compromise on their standards and hire people with prior traffic violations or criminal offenses, they may deny opportunities to drivers with DWIs.
Organizations could face direct liability for hiring someone who represents an elevated risk to the public if that driver causes a collision. Between the possibility of liability should a crash occur and the impact that a driver’s conviction could have on company insurance rates, many organizations screen out anyone who has a prior DWI, even if many years have passed since the offense occurred.
Those who drive for a living may have more incentive than others do to respond assertively to pending DWI charges. Developing a reasonable defense strategy may help transportation professionals preserve their CDLs and continue their careers after a DWI arrest.