Truck drivers spend most of their on the road, so it is no surprise that at some point most of them are going to have a violation at least once. Sometimes it can lead to losing a commercial driver’s license or it also can be suspended for a period of time. Different trucking companies have different rules regarding violations. Some companies will not hire a driver if there have been too many violations for a period of time or for a certain kind of violations.
To keep count of a driver’s violations, there is the point system. It means that for every violation the driver gets points added to his driving record. If there are too many points on the record, the driver may lose his commercial driver’s license. The system varies in each state but typically to have your license suspended, you have to have more than one violation. For instance, for speed violation you can get two to 10 points, sometimes more. Other violations that can add points but will not automatically get your license suspended are reckless driving, driving too close to another vehicle and failure to stop.
As for speeding, you will not get your license suspended for the first time. For the same offense in a period of three years, your license will be suspended for 60 days. For the third time in three years it will be 120 days. You can get it back, but some trucking companies can refuse to hire a driver if he has more than 3 speeding violations in a period of three years.
If you are caught on moving violations, such as improper lane change, texting or using a cellphone while driving if it is not allowed in the state, or not following traffic controls that leads to a fatal accident, he still can keep his CDL but it will be suspended. For the first offense it will be suspended for 60 days, and each of the next violations of the same kind will result in a 120 suspension.
In case of major violations, there is a chance you still can keep your license, but it will be suspended for a year after the first serious offence. It includes driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and refusal to be tested. If you ship hazardous materials, it will be three years of suspension for the first major violation. The second time will get your license revoked.
