Maryland CDL DUI Lawyer
A DUI arrest can be problematic for anyone, but if you drive for a living, a DUI could cost you your job. Contact a Maryland CDL DUI lawyer for help fighting a DUI charge and saving your commercial driver’s license. Call today and schedule a free consultation with a Maryland DUI lawyer today.
How a CDL DUI Lawyer in Maryland Can Help You
The consequences of a DUI for a commercial driver can be serious. Even a temporary suspension of the CDL can have a long term impact if it causes a person to lose a job, or if a DUI conviction makes it difficult to secure new employment as a professional driver.
From the moment you are pulled over, your CDL is in jeopardy. Whether or not you were driving a commercial vehicle at the time you were pulled over, a DUI or breathalyzer refusal can impact your CDL. However, a Maryland CDL DUI attorney can handle administrative hearings to help you retain your CDL pending your case.
Hiring a DUI defense lawyer gives you the highest potential for beating the DUI charge and retaining both your CDL and your state-issued driver’s license. Your attorney can challenge the legality of the stop, the administration of sobriety tests, and the reliability of breathalyzers or chemical blood testing.
Whether you were driving a commercial vehicle or your personal vehicle at the time of your arrest, you are entitled to defense representation. A CDL DUI attorney in Maryland can offer you the defense you need to get your case dismissed or to negotiate or litigate the optimal outcome.
Maryland DUI Laws for CDL Holders
The DUI laws as they pertain to commercial drivers are more strict than typical DUI laws. In Maryland, DUI per se is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent in most cases.
According to Maryland Code 16-813, a person may not operate or be in actual physical control of a commercial vehicle with any amount of alcohol in his or her system. State law clarifies this by issuing a DUI per se blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04 percent—half of that associated with typical DUI.
A commercial driver’s license can be temporarily suspended or permanently revoked following a DUI conviction, and the term for which the CDL is suspended depends upon the situation:
- First or subsequent DUI
- Level of BAC
- Refusal to submit to breath or blood testing
- Operating a commercial vehicle or personal vehicle
- Transporting hazardous materials
In some cases, a CDL may be disqualified even before conviction. This can happen as a result of refusal to submit to testing or an elevated BAC while driving a commercial vehicle.
A Maryland CDL DUI attorney can handle not only the criminal DUI case, but also any administrative hearings by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) regarding the disqualification of a CDL.
Maryland CDL DUI Defense
If you are a commercial driver who is accused of DUI, whether in your own vehicle or a commercial vehicle, you must act quickly to protect your CDL. Call today for a risk free consultation with a Maryland CDL DUI attorney who can help.