CDL · General Knowledge · 6 min read
Legal Duties and Disqualifications
- Identify driver licensing rules, employer notification deadlines, and mandatory record disclosures.
- Explain alcohol limits, drug restrictions, driver impairment rules, and physical safety requirements.
- Determine the disqualification periods for major offenses, serious traffic violations, out-of-service orders, and railroad-highway grade crossing violations.
Driver Licensing Rules, Notifications, and Record Disclosures
Operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) requires holding the correct commercial driver license and keeping an honest, accurate record. Under commercial driving regulations, you are strictly prohibited from holding more than one driver's license. If you hold multiple licenses or operate a commercial vehicle without obtaining a CDL, a court may fine you up to $5,000 or sentence you to jail time. Motor carriers share this responsibility under the law. An employer who allows a driver to drive with more than one license, or who allows a driver to operate a commercial vehicle with a suspended or revoked CDL, can also be fined up to $5,000 or jailed.
You have strict legal reporting duties whenever your driving record changes, regardless of what type of vehicle you are driving. This notification rule applies even if the violation happened while you were driving your personal vehicle on your personal time. Furthermore, if you are convicted of any traffic violation other than parking in another jurisdiction, you must notify your home state's motor vehicle licensing agency within 30 days. Testing requirements, passing scores, and exact administrative processes vary by state, so always consult your state licensing agency for filing instructions.
A much shorter timeline applies if you lose your driving privileges. You must notify your employer within two business days if your license is suspended, revoked, or canceled, or if you are disqualified from driving. When you apply for a commercial driving job, you must give the employer information on all driving jobs you have held for the past 10 years. You may never drive a commercial motor vehicle if you are disqualified for any reason.
Common mistakes
- Thinking you can delay reporting a traffic violation conviction other than parking, rather than notifying your employer within 30 days.
- Believing coffee, energy drinks, or cold showers will speed up the liver's processing of alcohol, when only time can sober up a person.
- Assuming that holding a mobile phone for a voice call or dialing by pressing more than one button is allowed while driving a CMV at a slow speed.
- Believing that traffic convictions in your personal family vehicle have no impact on your commercial driver license status.
Key points
- Commercial drivers may hold only one driver's license, and courts may fine drivers or employers up to $5,000 or impose jail time for license violations.
- You must notify your employer within 30 days of a traffic violation conviction other than parking, and within two business days if your license is suspended, revoked, or canceled, or you are disqualified from driving.
- Driving a CMV with a BAC of .04% or higher brings at least a one-year disqualification, while any detectable alcohol under .04% results in a 24-hour out-of-service order.
- Using a commercial motor vehicle to commit a felony involving controlled substances results in losing your CDL for life on the first offense.
- Two serious traffic violations involving a CMV within three years result in at least a 60-day CDL disqualification; three or more such violations within three years result in at least 120 days.
- Railroad grade crossing violations carry minimum disqualifications of 60 days for a first offense, 120 days for a second, and one year for a third offense within three years.
- Drivers must wear safety belts at all times, as unbelted drivers are four times more likely to suffer fatal injuries if thrown from the vehicle.
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