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205-981-2450
If you are a commercial driver, you depend on your license to allow you to make a living. As such, a DUI conviction can be especially devastating as you may not only be sent to jail and have to pay fines, but you may also lose your livelihood. It is very important to understand the DUI laws in Alabama that relate to commercial drivers, and to learn how to defend yourself if you have been charged with a commercial DUI.
Our Birmingham commercial driving defense lawyers have extensive experience representing clients with a commercial driver’s license who have been accused of a DUI. We represent both clients accused of driving a commercial vehicle while intoxicated as well as clients who hold a commercial license and who are accused of drunk driving in a passenger vehicle. Our DUI lawyers have successfully helped commercial drivers throughout Jefferson, Madison and Shelby counties and throughout the rest of the Alabama area and we can put our legal experience to work for you in exploring defenses or plea options.
To learn more about how we can help, contact Alabama Criminal Lawyers today at (205) 981-2450 for a free consultation.
In the state of Alabama, 32-5A-191 defines a DUI as driving with a blood alcohol content above .08 or driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. However, a commercial driver is held to a higher standard when it comes to DUI and driving laws since the potential danger of an accident in a commercial vehicle are so great.
As such, according to the rules in Alabama, a commercial driver with any measurable amount of alcohol in his or her blood stream can be put out of service for 24 hours after the failed BAC test. A commercial driver with a BAC test result of .04 percent or higher can be arrested for a commercial DUI and can have his or her license suspended. A refusal to take a BAC test will result in a two-year suspension if you are operating a commercial vehicle at the time.
When you are driving your private vehicle, your commercial license can also be affected. For instance, a DUI when driving a passenger vehicle will result in a one-year suspension of your commercial license even though you were not in a commercial vehicle at the time. Because Alabama does not have a provision for a hardship license, this suspension will mean you are not able to drive professionally for at least a year.
Unfortunately, for many commercial drivers, a DUI on a driving record means the end of a career. This is because employers are unlikely to hire you with a record of a DUI, even after your license suspension is over and your license is reinstated.
In order to keep your license and your career intact, therefore, it is essential that you get help from an Alabama DUI lawyer as soon as you have been accused of a commercial DUI. Your Birmingham DUI attorney can assist you in exploring defenses such as raising questions about the accuracy of your breath test or alleging that your constitutional rights were violated by law enforcement so that you can get evidence against you suppressed.
We have been able to successfully help many clients to raise defenses in a commercial DUI case in order to get charges dropped or to win a not-guilty verdict. The sooner Alabama Criminal Lawyers takes a case, the sooner we can begin to work with you to help you keep your commercial license. That’s why it’s important to call us today at (205) 981-2450 for a free consultation.