There are many driving and non-driving offenses that might cause you to lose your license, ending your livelihood, and fighting these causes might be costly and time-consuming.
As you know, getting a DUI, causing an accident and other driving offenses can put your CDL in jeopardy, but did you know that you could also lose your CDL for the following reasons?
Failure to pay child support-
If truckers fail to pay a few months of child support, they can lose their CDL
Many truckers have been surprised by this, and only find out when they try and pick up a new contract. Imagine searching through trucking jobs because your bank account is getting low, then getting informed by a potential carrier that your application has been declined because your CDL was found to be suspended. If trucking is your only professional skill and is the only way you make money, you’re now caught in a catch 22. You lost your CDL because you didn’t or couldn’t pay child support, but now you won’t be able to pay child support to reinstate your CDL because you can’t work.
How Can They Do That? I Have a Right to Work!
That may be how it seems to you, but remember: any type of driver’s license is considered by the state to be a privilege to own, not a right. So your job is commensurate with you being able to meet certain state requirements, which includes court costs, fines and child support. If you fail to pay state determined child support, it’s no different than if you had your CDL revoked for failing to pay for license registration, a traffic ticket or anything else regulated by the state.
But you lost your license not because you violated any traffic law, but because you failed to pay the child support ordered by the court, which makes you in contempt of court. The legislatures of all the states have written and passed laws that require the licensing offices in their state to suspend or withdraw any license issued by the state for failure to pay child support. The Governors have signed those laws, and the Courts have found they are constitutional and enforceable by the states to help protect and provide for the children that have been abandoned by a parent. So try not to waste any more time and money on a counter-suite you can hardly win.
Failure to respect a railroad crossing:
In many states, you can have your CDL suspended for up to 120 days if you fail to:
- Slow down and check that the tracks are clear of an approaching train
- Stop before reaching the crossing when the tracks are not clear
- Stop before driving onto the crossing
- Have sufficient space to drive completely through the crossing without stopping
- Obey a traffic control device or the directions of an enforcement official at the crossing
- Negotiate a crossing because of insufficient undercarriage clearance
Falling behind on your taxes:
In New York, if you owe more than $10,000 in back taxes, your license may be suspended. In Louisiana, if you owe $1,000 in back taxes, you may have your license suspended. Massachusetts and California also have similar laws.
Bouncing a check:
If you bounce a check in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, or Minnesota, your license might be in jeopardy.
Failure to pay alimony:
If you’re a Nebraska resident, and you fail to make alimony payments to your ex, you may have your license suspended. Even if you make the payments, but you don’t make them on time each month, you could still end up in hot water.
Refusal to take a DNA test:
Florida residents who fail to show up for court-ordered DNA testing in child-support cases, you might have your license suspended. In 2010, Florida suspended 486 licensees for failure to appear for a court-ordered DNA test.
Littering:
Nobody likes a litterbug, but Arizona and Oregon really hate litter bugs. If you throw trash out of a moving vehicle in Arizona or Oregon, you are putting your license in jeopardy.
Sources
Washington Post
Wired
CNN
Bill Haddox Insurance Blog