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Waldorf, MD DUI/DWI With a Commercial Driver’s License


If you have a commercial driver’s license (“CDL”) in Waldorf, Maryland, being arrested for a DUI/DWI will have serious consequences for your ability to drive. Indeed, your job will be at risk. This is true even if you were not driving a commercial vehicle at the time you were arrested. That is, even if you were off-duty and driving your own car or another vehicle, a DUI/DWI in that vehicle will impact your CDL. If this has happened to you, call the Maryland criminal defense lawyers here at the Law Office of Robert Castro. Our number is (301) 705-5137. We are tough and relentless in your defense. We are located at 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601, and provide criminal defense services in the following Southern Maryland communities: Charles County, Prince George’s County, Calvert County, and St. Mary’s County.

Basically, there is a kind of “strict liability” for those with CDLs with respect to driving impaired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Maryland residents with regular driver’s licenses are not legally deemed to be driving while intoxicated unless their blood alcohol content is 0.08% or higher. It is half that for those with CDLs.

For first-time offenders holding a CDL, a DUI/DWI conviction will result in your CDL being suspended for a year. Again, the suspension of your CDL will occur regardless of which vehicle you were driving at the time. Penalties are enhanced if you were arrested in your commercial vehicle and you were hauling hazardous or dangerous substances. Under those circumstances, the suspension of your CDL is for 3 years. A conviction for a second offense will result in a lifetime loss of your CDL (again, regardless of the vehicle you were driving at the time of the arrest).

For these and other reasons, it is crucial to avoid a DUI/DUI conviction if you possess a Maryland CDL. Tenacious Maryland criminal defense attorneys might be able to establish a good criminal defense depending on the facts of your case. A few examples include:

  • The originating traffic stop was unlawful: Maryland law enforcement may only make a traffic stop if they have probable cause or a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been or is being committed; for DUI/DWI, that means reasonable suspicion of impaired driving; if the traffic stop was unlawful, then the case will be dismissed.
  • The sobriety field tests and/or the lab tests are invalid and/or contaminated: There are many methods of challenging the requirement that sobriety tests be taken and challenging the test results themselves; examples include challenging the status, maintenance, and cleanliness of the machines; contamination or false results might be argued; chain of custody is another possibility depending on the facts.
  • Rights were not protected during the arrest and booking: Citizens have rights that are protected by the federal and Maryland Constitutions; if those constitutional protections are violated, evidence can be excluded.

Contact Waldorf, Maryland, Criminal Defense Lawyer Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland criminal defense lawyer at (301) 705-5137. We are Waldorf, MD, Criminal Defense lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601.

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