COMMERCIAL DRIVERS’ LICENSE

If you have a Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL) and receive any traffic citation, even in your personal vehicle, it is wise to consult an attorney familiar with Chapter 4506 of the Ohio Revised Code, which governs CDL’s.   Even a seemingly minor traffic violation in a private vehicle could result in the suspension of your CDL.

For instance, if you receive two of the following citations in a three year period, even in a private vehicle, the law requires your CDL be suspended for 60 days or more!  These offenses include, but are not limited to:

• Speeding in excess of 15 miles per hour of the posted speed

• Reckless operation in violation of R.C. § 4511.20 and 4511.201

• A traffic control violation that results in a fatality

• Marked lanes in violation of R.C. § 4511.33

• Space between vehicles in violation of R.C. § 4511.34

If you receive an OVI/DUI/OMVI conviction, even in a private vehicle, the law requires your CDL be suspended for one year!

Further, courts are no longer allowed to grant occupational driving privileges to people who have CDL’s when their regular license is suspended.  Therefore, any suspension of your regular license or CDL will result in an inability to drive for any reason.

Because of these stringent laws, if you have a CDL and receive even a minor traffic citation in your private vehicle, it is very important that you contact an attorney since any offense has the potential to drastically affect your livelihood.