Your commercial driver’s license is more than a privilege. It is the key to your livelihood.
Disqualifications could have significant ramifications in many ways for your life. This article looks generally at some details and some potential next steps regarding a disqualification that you might receive.
Which offenses result in disqualifications?
While there are many ways that the courts could disqualify your CDL, one of the most common would be if you were to get a conviction for driving while intoxicated. These types of disqualifications could come in addition to suspensions and other penalties associated with DWI.
You might receive disqualifications of various lengths for other types of offenses as well. These include multiple serious traffic tickets, railroad-highway grade violations or using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony.
What are some possible options after disqualification?
There are sometimes situations in which the court might disqualify your CDL unjustly. There is a hearing and appeals process for this reason, but there is a relatively short time limit after you receive notice of disqualification in which you may apply for a hearing.
Over the longer term, there is a reinstatement process that could be available depending on the reason the court disqualified your CDL. This option would potentially be of interest to you if you had a lifetime disqualification.
Many of the rules and penalties apply to commercial learning permits in addition to commercial driver’s licenses. In addition, certain convictions could result in a disqualification of your CDL even if you were operating a personal vehicle during the time of the offense.