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How a Class D Suspended License Affects a CDL in Illinois
For Illinois drivers, a Class D license is for standard motor vehicles, and Class A, B, and C are considered a commercial driver’s license (CDL). While a license suspension can have a significant impact on regular drivers, it can put a CDL holder's livelihood at risk.
For CDL drivers who transport material goods and supplies across the country, a suspension of driving privileges means they cannot perform the duties of their job, and driver’s license reinstatement becomes imperative.
Here are some answers to common CDL-related questions:
Can I Obtain a CLP with a Suspended License?
Illinois state law requires a valid Class D license to obtain a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP), which spans 180 days. Your regular license must be valid for that entire duration to earn a CLP. Therefore, if your base license is suspended before course completion, a CLP will not be issued.
Tips for a Successful Driver’s License Reinstatement Hearing
A formal Illinois driver’s license reinstatement hearing is a source of concern for many drivers who wish to regain their driving privileges after a serious offense. The days and weeks leading up to the hearing often reveal many uncertainties, like what to bring, what to wear, and the overall likelihood of success.
Along with experienced legal representation, these tips can help ensure a positive outcome to your hearing:
Bring Necessary Supporting Documents
All documentation must be in the original format for a successful submission. Your hearing risks denial if the necessary forms are either photocopies or unavailable. One requirement is the drug and alcohol evaluation report, because it determines the risk category for which you qualify. The Secretary of State representative will also want to see other information supporting the claim that you will not be a threat to other drivers upon return of your driving privileges. Potential supporting documents include treatment documentation from a licensed facility and character letters.
Illinois Driver’s License Reinstatement Payment Options
One mistake can seriously impact not only an individual, but also the livelihood of their entire family. Illinois state law allows for driver’s license suspension or revocation for a wide variety of infractions, some of which have nothing to do with actual driving habits. Most people do not realize the importance of a valid driver’s license is until it is gone.
Reinstatement can be costly, which leaves many Illinois residents without driving privileges long after the suspension period ends. Find out how you can get your privileges back via the options below:
Pay the Required Fees
Most residents choose to wait out the required suspension or revocation period patiently. Once the designated term passes, a fee is due, along with other potential requirements. Current possible fees include:
- Discretionary suspension: $70.
- Family responsibility: $70.
Could Traffic Violations Cost Me My Driver’s License?
In Illinois, driver’s licenses are issued and managed by the Office of the Secretary of State. The law gives the Secretary’s office to impose suspensions and revocations for offenses such as driving under the influence and refusing a blood-alcohol content (BAC) test incident to a DUI arrest. A suspension may apply in other situations as well, including the use of a fake ID, underage drinking, and failing to pay court-ordered child support. However, even the most seemingly basic traffic violations could result in the suspension of your license, depending on your driving history.
Moving Violations
The Illinois Vehicle Code, along with the Office of the Secretary of State, maintains a list of traffic offenses that are considered "moving violations." The list includes most of the offenses you would expect, such as:
Alcohol and Drug Evaluations and Risk Assessments
When you have been convicted on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, there are a many considerations that could influence the severity of your sentence and your ability to drive again in the future. In most situations, the penalties for a DUI conviction will include the revocation of your driving privileges for at least one year for first-time offenders, with much longer revocations possible for repeat offenders. Once your driver’s license has been revoked, it is possible to get your license reinstated, but getting back on the road can be long, tough journey with many requirements with which you must comply.
DUI Evaluations
Before you can qualify for license reinstatement—or even for a restricted driving permit—you will be required to undergo an alcohol and drug evaluation with an approved, licensed provider. The purpose of the evaluation is to analyze your use or dependence on alcohol or drugs and to establish the risk—if any—you present to public safety. Your evaluation will include:
Formal and Informal Hearings for Driver’s License Reinstatement
Under Illinois law, driving is not a guaranteed right that all citizens automatically have. It is a privilege that can be suspended or revoked if necessary. There are several different situations that could lead to the loss of your driving privileges in Illinois, including as the result of driving under the influence (DUI). If your license has been revoked or suspended in relation to a failed or refused BAC test or a DUI conviction, you are required to participate in an administrative hearing before your license can be reinstated.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office is responsible for virtually all matters related to driver’s licenses in Illinois, including reinstatement hearings. Such hearings may be formal or informal, and the type that you must attend will depend on the circumstances that led to you losing your driving privileges.
Formal Reinstatement Hearings
The MDDP Program Could Put You Back on the Road During Your License Suspension
Under Illinois law, there are a number of reasons for which your driver’s license could be suspended or revoked. You could lose your driving privileges for accumulating too many traffic violations, failing to appear in court, failing to pay child support, or using a fake ID. Each year, thousands of Illinois residents also have their licenses suspended or revoked as a result of a DUI conviction. Fortunately, a license suspension related to a DUI offense does not always mean that the driver must stay completely off the road. Thanks to a specific type of driving relief program, first-time DUI offenders are usually able to get back behind the wheel legally while their license is technically suspended.
Monitoring Device Driving Permit
The state of Illinois recognizes how important the ability to drive is for most individuals. Depending on where a person lives and works, a license suspension could make it nearly impossible for that person to get to and from their job and to provide for themselves and their families. While driving is a privilege and suspension is meant to be a punishment and a deterrent, it does not serve the public well to ruin an offender’s life over a one-time lapse in judgment.
Proposed Law Would Eliminate Many Possible License Suspensions
Illinois is a largely a commuter state. While public transportation is accessible in the greater Chicago area, an estimated 80 percent of the state’s residents drive their own vehicle to and from work every day. This means that a valid driver’s license is a critical component of maintaining employment. Some people would even argue that a valid license is as important as work-related experience and skills.
Ways You Could Lose Your License
You probably realize that you could lose your driving privileges as a result of certain behaviors, such as accumulating too many moving violations in a short time or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There are, however, many other ways in which your license could be suspended, including failure to pay child support, failure to appear in court, and unpaid parking tickets.
For many people, a license suspension also means the loss of their job—a consequence that is often counterproductive, since failing to pay fines, tolls, or fees was the reason for the suspension in the first place. Earlier this year, a bill was introduced to the Illinois legislature that would reform license suspensions in the state and eliminate many of the non-driving reasons for suspending a person’s license.
Refusing a BAC Test Could Cost You Your License
When you get behind the wheel of a car or truck on Illinois roadways, you have certain rights, but you also assume certain responsibilities. While you may not be able to control the actions of other drivers, you have the responsibility to operate your vehicle in a manner that promotes safety to both other individuals and the public at large. Safe driving means that, among other considerations, you are not impaired by alcohol, drugs, or other substances. With that in mind, Illinois law maintains that by exercising your driving privileges, you are granting implied consent to blood-alcohol content (BAC) testing if you are ever arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. If you are asked to submit to a BAC test including breathalyzer testing, following a DUI arrest, refusing to cooperate will cost you your driving privileges.
Separate From Criminal Prosecution
Technically, refusing a BAC test is not a crime, but that does not mean you cannot be punished. Based upon the state’s implied consent laws, refusing a test subsequent to an arrest on suspicion of DUI is an administrative offense for which the penalties are imposed by the Secretary of State’s Office. Any administrative penalty is in addition to those that could result from eventual prosecution on charges of driving under the influence.
How Texting While Driving Could Lead to License Suspensions
For many years, safety groups and even cell phone carriers themselves have been reminding drivers to put their phones down while behind the wheel. The public, it seems, is not heeding the warnings. Thanks to a recently-passed law, however, Illinois drivers who insist on using their cell phones illegally could ultimately have their driving privileges suspended, even for a first offense. If you have trouble with cell phone distractions while driving, it is important to know how your life could be affected.
Dismal Numbers
A recent survey conducted by State Farm suggests that attitudes regarding cell phone use while driving are quite casual and, in many cases, downright dangerous. More than 80 percent of the survey’s respondents acknowledged that talking on a hand-held phone while driving was dangerous, but half admitted to using a hand-held cell phone behind the wheel. A full 95 percent of participants said that texting while driving was distracting, but 35 percent text anyway.
Get The Representation You Deserve
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Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
