Criminal charges of any kind can threaten several aspects of your life. While they can certainly put your freedom on the line, they can also jeopardize your reputation and your career. This can even be true if you’re convicted of a driving-related offense and your job involves operating a truck. To ensure that you protect your interests and your career, you need to understand how the law applies to these circumstances. Otherwise, you could make a criminal defense decision that leaves you without a job and without the financial resources needed to stabilize your life.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how certain traffic offenses could affect your CDL license and what you can do to protect yourself when faced with these sorts of criminal charges. That way you’ll hopefully be in a better position to make the fully informed decisions that are right for you as you build your criminal defense strategy.
Under Illinois law, you can be disqualified as a CDL driver, meaning that your CDL will be suspended, if you’re convicted of two serious traffic violations within a three-year period. There are number of offenses that have been identified as “serious” in nature, including:
- Reckless driving
- Texting while driving a commercial vehicle
- Speeding between 15 and 25 miles per hour above the posted speed limit
- Aggravated speeding between 26 and 34 miles per hour above the speed limit
- Aggravated speeding in excess of 35 miles per hour above the speed limit
- Speeding in a school zone
- Speeding in a construction zone
- Improper lane usage
- Following too closely
If convicted of two of these offenses within a three-year period, then your CDL could be suspended for 120 days.
There are, of course, more serious offenses that will automatically result in a minimum one-year disqualification of your license. This includes:
- DUI
- Leaving the scene of an accident
- Negligent operation of a commercial vehicle resulting in death
- Driving a commercial vehicle while your license is suspended or revoked
- Any other felony involving a motor vehicle
As you can see, there’s a whole host of offenses that can devastate your career and leave you without the CDL you rely upon to earn a living. That’s why it’s crucial that you know how to defend against these charges when they’re levied against you.
How can you defend against serious and major traffic offenses?
It really depends on the facts of your case. In some instances, you might be better off negotiating a plea deal that includes a lesser offense that won’t affect your CDL. In others you may be able to draw the credibility and reliability of the prosecution’s evidence into question, thereby leading to dismissed charges or an outright acquittal at trial. You might also find evidence that contradicts the evidence presented to the prosecution, which could raise enough reasonable doubt to allow you to beat the charges levied against you. Just make sure you’re thorough in evaluating your defense options so that you can choose the one that maximizes your ability to beat the prosecution.
Aggressively fight to protect your interests and your CDL
There’s a lot on the line when you’ve been charged with criminal offenses that could negatively impact your license and your career. That’s why now is the time to start thinking about how to craft a compelling legal strategy that exploits the weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. If you want to learn more about how to do that, then please continue to read our website and consider seeking out any help that you may need in developing your criminal defense strategy.