Commercial Drivers (CDL)

DUI and Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL).

A Washington DUI or physical control arrest can have devastating consequences for a driver with a commercial driver’s license (CDL).  If you have a CDL and have been arrested for a Washington DUI or physical control charge, you are facing a period of CDL disqualification ranging from one year to life. This is true even if you were arrested while driving a personal, non-commercial vehicle.  

The laws governing Washington CDLs are found in the Uniform Commercial Driver’s License Act (RCW 46.25. et. seq.).   Over the past few years, the UCDLA has undergone a number of significant changes to keep Washington in line with Federal laws governing commercial vehicles and drivers.    These changes include increasing the consequences for commercial drivers arrest for various crimes – even when these crimes occurred in non-commercial vehicles. 

A CDL holder arrested for DUI or physical control faces a disqualification for a minimum of one year for: 

• Loss of an administrative hearing pursuant to RCW 46.20.308 under the implied consent law.
• A conviction for driving while under the influence of alcohol or any drug.
• A conviction for minor driving after consuming alcohol.
• Loss of an administrative hearing pursuant to RCW 46.25.120.
• A conviction for driving a commercial vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more.
• A conviction for leaving the scene of an accident (hit and run attended and unattended).

A CDL holder will be disqualified for life for two or more of the above violations arising from two or more separate incidents.