What types of traffic tickets can cancel an Illinois commercial driver’s license?

NOTE: The information below was updated to account for the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Since an effective date of January 1, 2020, it is legal to possess and use cannabis recreationally in Illinois. Despite this change, drivers in Illinois can face DUI charges for operating a motor vehicle while impaired by cannabis.

A commercial driver’s license (CDL) is put at risk with almost any traffic ticket.

For starters, a ticket for a moving violation will appear on a driver’s abstract. Most employers will check a job applicant’s driving record for traffic offenses, because the employer’s insurance will likely increase if the driver has numerous traffic tickets. Employers are looking to cut costs, and they will probably reject a job application if the driver will increase insurance costs.

Some job applicants have been denied employment for only a handful of traffic tickets. It is critical to have these offenses removed from your driver’s abstract, if possible, or avoid them in the first place by hiring a traffic lawyer.

But some traffic offenses are far more serious because they can result in an immediate cancellation of your CDL.

The law in Illinois provides that a CDL will be canceled for a period of one year for any of the following offenses:

1. Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, cannabis, or drugs. Even though alcohol and cannabis are legal substances, driving while impaired by either substance can lead to DUI charges.
2. A refusal to submit to chemical testing such as a breathalyzer test, blood test, or urine test to detect the presence of alcohol, cannabis, or drugs. It does not matter whether the driver is operating a commercial motor vehicle or a personal vehicle.
3. A second DUI offense. A second DUI results in a lifetime cancellation of a CDL.
4. Driving a commercial motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04 or more.
5. Leaving the scene of an accident while driving a commercial motor vehicle.
6. Any felony offense involving a motor vehicle.
7. Negligent driving that results in the death of another person while operating a commercial motor vehicle.
8. Driving a commercial motor vehicle during a revocation or cancellation of a CDL.

If you have been ticketed or arrested for any of the above offenses, you should contact a qualified lawyer immediately to protect your CDL.