To drive for a living, you must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). But if you have committed certain traffic violations, the state can actually either refuse to allow you to apply or revoke your current license.
Serious enough violations may even count toward your CDL even if you were driving in a private vehicle at the time. Repeated convictions or serious infractions could result in a lifetime revocation of your CDL, preventing you from ever working in the industry again. But fortunately, most cases involve only temporary revocation which can range from 60 days to several years.
Serious violations
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles discusses disqualifications from commercial driver’s licenses. Know first that two or more serious convictions can lead to disqualifications of up to 60 days, while three or more convictions may result in 120 days of disqualification.
Some examples of these serious violations include texting while driving, driving a commercial vehicle without your CDL, or driving over 15 miles above the speed limit. Any sort of reckless driving also counts as a serious violation.
Major violations
Major violations will result in the loss of your license for up to a year. If this offense occurred during the transportation of hazardous materials, it rises to three years. Some examples of major violations can include using commercial vehicles to commit a felony, failing to stop at the scene of a crash causing death or injury in a commercial vehicle, or making false statements on the CDL application.
Additionally, any DUI or the drug-related charge will automatically fall under this classification. Note that commercial drivers have a legal limit of 0.04 percent instead of 0.08 percent and that refusing to consent to a breath or blood test may result in disqualification, too.
