Tough Penalties for CDL Holders in Massachusetts

Both Massachusetts and Federal Laws impose severe penalties for truck drivers who violate DUI and breathalyzer refusal laws. These laws can result in a lifetime commercial driver’s license revocation which may be extremely difficult to reverse, even at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance Board of Appeal or in court.

For example, if you have a prior drunk driving conviction and you refuse to submit to a breath or blood test, after being arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol many years later, you will have a lifetime Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) revocation. This is because two events, such as a DUI or a refusal, not arising out of the same incident, will automatically trigger a lifetime CDL disqualification and revocation.

G.L. c. 90F, §9(B), which is a Massachusetts state statute applicable to CDL holders, enacted pursuant to Chapter 246 of the Acts of 1990, provides for lifetime disqualification penalties for any CDL holder who has two or more OUI offenses or two or more chemical test refusals, or any combination thereof, arising from two or more separate incidents. This Commercial Driver’s License Suspension is consistent with federal regulation 49 CFR §383.51, the purpose of which is to increase highway safety by removing certain drivers from the roadways. The Massachusetts and Federal regulations are consistent with the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 which is federal legislation governing commercial driver’s licenses. This law standardizes the penalties for drunk driving and breath test refusals when it comes to CDL holders.

The Board of Appeal has been upholding the lifetime CDL revocations even when a driver has a reinstatement order from a judge. The Board has taken the position that the early restoration order applies only to a Class D passenger car license and not a CDL. This interpretation has been upheld in Superior Courts.