If you hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and are charged with DUI, your livelihood is at stake. Even if you were not driving a commercial vehicle at the time you were charged, conviction of your first Florida DUI results in CDL disqualification for one year and a second conviction disqualifies you for life. If you are a commercial driver and have been charged with DUI, you need immediate help from a DUI attorney, no matter what type of vehicle you were driving at the time. Please, call the Law Offices of Lee P. Marks right away.
Florida DUI and Your CDL
In Florida, your first DUI in a commercial vehicle or personal vehicle, results in a one-year suspension of your CDL. If you were transporting hazardous materials at the time, that suspension will be three years. A second DUI conviction results in in lifetime loss of your CDL. While some states allow for reinstatement after 10 years, Florida does not.
Refusing the breath, blood or urine test will not help you. You will face disqualification for one year for your first refusal and lifetime disqualification for a second refusal.
However, an experienced Florida DUI attorney can help. There are many defenses to DUI and refusal charges. Each case is unique. A DUI charge does not automatically mean that you will be found guilty of DUI. If you are accused of refusing to submit to the test, there are conditions. The officer had to have probable cause, and you had to be informed that refusing the test would result in CDL disqualification.
If you have been charged with DUI in the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale area, please do not wait until it is too late to get help and save your career. Call the Law Offices of Lee P. Marks, P.A., at 305-444-3343 or email us today.
