Commercial (CDL) Drivers DUI
We’re Haddon Heights DUI Lawyers Representing Commercial (CDL) Drivers
For New Jersey residents who hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL), the consequences of a DUI conviction are extreme. If you are arrested and convicted for a first-time offense, you can lose your CDL for one year. If you get arrested and convicted again, you will lose your CDL permanently.
This, of course, is in addition to the “standard” penalties for DUI convictions in New Jersey. As a result, not only can you lose your CDL for a year for a first-time offense, but you can lose all of your driving privileges for three months. You can also face financial penalties, mandatory alcohol education (at your expense), up to 30 days in jail and the requirement to install ignition interlock devices in each of your vehicles for a year after your driving privileges are restored. For second and subsequent offenses, the penalties become even more severe.
The Legal Limit for Commercial Drivers in New Jersey is 0.04 Percent
For drivers over the age of 21, New Jersey’s legal limit for impaired driving is 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC). If you hold a CDL, this is the limit that applies when you are driving on personal time; and, if you are arrested in Haddon Heights or elsewhere in New Jersey for drunk driving during your personal time, you can lose your CDL if your BAC is 0.08 percent or above.
However, when you are driving your commercial vehicle, the legal limit is 0.04 percent. As a result, if the police pull you over and you blow between 0.04 and 0.07 percent on the breathalyzer, you can be arrested and charged with DUI even though you would not have been over the limit in your personal vehicle.
Experienced Legal Representation for Commercial Drivers in Haddon Heights
If you live in Haddon Heights, or if you were arrested for DUI while driving in Haddon Heights, our experienced DUI defense lawyers can fight to protect your right to drive. As a commercial driver, we understand what is at stake in your case, and we will fight vigorously to make sure you can still drive for a living. Whether you were pulled over in a personal or commercial vehicle, you could potentially have several defenses available, and we will use all available means to protect you against a conviction at trial.
Some of the defenses we may be able to assert on your behalf include:
- Constitutional violations
- “False positive” breath test
- Faulty field sobriety test (FST) procedures or results
- Improper storage of BAC samples
- Medical condition or other justification for driving behavior
- Police misconduct
- Rising BAC after traffic stop
- Uncalibrated or defective Alcotest (“breathalyzer”)
- Unlawful traffic stop, search or arrest
- Withholding evidence
Speak With a Haddon Heights DUI Defense Lawyer Today
If you are at risk of losing your CDL due to a drunk driving arrest, it is important that you speak with an attorney as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment at our law offices in Haddon Heights, please call (856) 547-7888 or submit your case online today.
