Quite a bit can be at stake for a commercial truck driver when they are in criminal proceedings regarding drunk driving here in Florida. One such thing is their very livelihood.
This is because, under Florida law, one of the consequences a conviction on a drunk driving charge (such as a DUI charge or the charge of having a BAC at or above 0.04 while driving a commercial vehicle) has for a commercial truck driver is that such a conviction triggers a prohibition on operating a commercial vehicle being put on them in the state.
Whether this prohibition is temporary or permanent depends on whether the convicted truck driver has past impaired-driving-related convictions on their record. Without past convictions, the prohibition goes for one year. With past convictions, the prohibition is permanent.
Not being allowed to drive a commercial vehicle in the state obviously has massive potential for causing employment problems for a person who has made their living on driving a commercial truck. A permanent prohibition, and even a temporary one, could force them to have to change careers, perhaps to a career that does not have as much income-earning potential as the one they are leaving.
Thus, for commercial truck drivers, drunk driving charges have the potential to completely derail their career and seriously cut into their income-earning potential. Consequently, when such individuals have drunk driving allegations leveled against them, they may want to talk to a defense attorney about what can be done to try to protect their livelihood.
Source: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, “Florida DUI and Administrative Suspension Laws,” Accessed March 12, 2015
