Records and rules
Updated September 28, 2026
Federal rule 49 CFR 383.51 lists the offenses that take a CDL or permit holder off the road, and for how long. A first DUI means at least 1 year without a CDL. A second means life, though a state may restore some lifetime cases after 10 years.
Those tables apply to people who hold a CDL or permit, or must have one. Your state enforces them, can add its own rules, and decides whether to issue you a license.
Below are the federal tables in plain words: DUI, felonies, speeding and other serious tickets, railroad crossings and out-of-service orders. Each rule links to its source. This is a summary of federal rules, not legal advice.
Can You Get a CDL With a DUI?
It depends on when the DUI happened and what you were driving. The federal tables count offenses by people who already hold a CDL or permit, or who must have one:
DUI in a commercial vehicle
1 year
For a first offense. It is 3 years if you were hauling placarded hazardous materials. In a commercial vehicle, an alcohol level of 0.04 or more is a major offense on its own.
DUI in your own car, with a CDL
1 year
For a first offense. If you hold a CDL or permit, a DUI in a personal car takes away your CDL too.
A second DUI, in any vehicle
Life
Any two major offenses from separate incidents mean a lifetime disqualification. A state may restore some after 10 years.
Refusing an alcohol test under your state’s implied consent law carries the same penalties as a DUI.
A DUI from before you had a CDL or permit is not in the federal tables. That does not settle it. Your state decides whether to issue a permit and may have its own look-back rules, so ask your state licensing agency. Carriers also review your driving record, as explained below.
Can You Get a CDL With a Felony?
Most felonies are not in the federal CDL tables. The tables cover felonies where a vehicle was used:
- Using a vehicle to commit a felony: 1 year for a first offense (3 years with placarded hazmat) and life for a second.
- Using a vehicle in a felony that involves making, selling or giving out controlled substances: life, with no chance of reinstatement.
- Using a commercial vehicle in a felony involving severe forms of human trafficking: life, with no chance of reinstatement.
Under these rules, a felony is a crime punishable by death or by more than 1 year in prison. The hazmat endorsement and the TWIC card each need a separate TSA security threat assessment, with its own criminal history rules. See our guides to the hazmat endorsement and the TWIC card.
Major Offenses and Their Penalties
These are the major offenses in Table 1 of 49 CFR 383.51. The time is how long you cannot drive a commercial vehicle.
| Offense | First | First, hazmat | Second |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving under the influence of alcohol, as your state defines it | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Driving under the influence of a controlled substance | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Alcohol level of 0.04 or more in a commercial vehicle | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Refusing an alcohol test under implied consent | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Leaving the scene of an accident | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Using a vehicle to commit a felony | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Driving a commercial vehicle while your CDL is suspended or revoked for past commercial driving violations | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Causing a death through negligent driving of a commercial vehicle | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Using a vehicle in a controlled substance felony, or a commercial vehicle in a human trafficking felony | Life, no reinstatement | ||
The 0.04 alcohol level, driving while suspended and the negligent death offense count only in a commercial vehicle. The others count in any vehicle once you hold a CDL or permit. Disqualification periods add up: a new one starts on top of any you already have.
Serious Traffic Violations, Including Speeding Tickets
One serious ticket does not take your CDL under the federal tables. Two or more within 3 years do:
2serious violations in 3 years60 days
3+serious violations in 3 years120 days
These count as serious traffic violations:
- Speeding 15 mph or more over the limit
- Reckless driving
- Improper or erratic lane changes
- Following too closely
- A traffic violation connected to a fatal crash (not parking)
- Driving a commercial vehicle without a CDL or permit
- Driving one without your CDL or permit with you
- Driving without the right class or endorsement
- Texting while driving a commercial vehicle
- Using a hand-held phone while driving a commercial vehicle
Paying the ticket counts. Under these rules, a conviction includes paying a fine or court costs, pleading guilty or no contest, and forfeiting your bail. In your own car, the first five count only if the conviction leads your state to suspend or revoke your license. Leaving your CDL at home is forgiven if you prove you held a valid one by your court or payment date.
Railroad Crossing and Out-of-Service Order Violations
Railroad crossings
Failing to slow and check for a train, stopping when you must, clearing the crossing, obeying signals or having enough clearance underneath.
- First60 days
- Second in 3 years120 days
- Third in 3 years1 year
Each is the least the rule allows.
Out-of-service orders
Driving after you or your truck are placed out of service.
- First180 days to 1 year
- Second in 10 years2 to 5 years
- Third in 10 years3 to 5 years
Longer terms apply with hazmat or 16 or more passengers.
Your Personal Car Counts
Once you hold a CDL or permit, many offenses count against it even when you were driving your own car. That includes a DUI, a test refusal, leaving the scene and using a vehicle in a felony. Each conviction from a separate incident counts.
States also cannot hide these convictions. Federal rule 49 CFR 384.226 bars a state from masking a CDL holder’s traffic conviction, deferring judgment, or using a diversion program that keeps it off the driving record. That covers any vehicle, and any state. Only parking, vehicle weight and vehicle defect violations are left out.
Getting Your CDL Back
- Time-limited disqualifications (60 days to 5 years) run for the period in the table. Ask your state licensing agency what it takes to get your CDL back afterward.
- Lifetime disqualifications for the first eight major offenses: a state may reinstate you after 10 years, if you finish a rehabilitation program the state approves. It is up to the state.
- A second lifetime disqualification after reinstatement cannot be reinstated again.
- Controlled substance and human trafficking felonies are never eligible for the 10-year reinstatement.
Every state runs this its own way. For one example, see the reinstatement section of our Maryland CDL guide. For your case, ask your state licensing agency or an attorney.
How Carriers See Your Record
A carrier must pull your driving record from every state that licensed you in the last 3 years when you are hired. Then it must pull a new one at least every 12 months and review it.
The federal rule tells carriers to give great weight to violations like speeding, reckless driving and driving under the influence. Each carrier then makes its own hiring decisions. Our guide to DAC reports, PSP and MVR shows what each report holds. Drug and alcohol test violations have their own path back, covered in DOT drug and alcohol testing.
At Accelerated, contract drivers need a valid Class A CDL, an acceptable MVR and a clean safety history, and must pass a background check. We run your MVR, so you do not need it in hand.
Clean record and car-haul experience? Apply from your phone in a few minutes.
CDL Disqualification FAQs
How long do you lose your CDL for a DUI?
Under 49 CFR 383.51, a first DUI means 1 year without a CDL, or 3 years if you were hauling placarded hazardous materials. A second DUI or other major offense means a lifetime disqualification. This applies in your own car too if you hold a CDL or permit.
Can you get a CDL with a felony?
The federal CDL tables only list felonies where a vehicle was used. Using a vehicle in a controlled substance felony, or a commercial vehicle in a human trafficking felony, means a lifetime ban with no reinstatement. States and carriers have their own rules, so ask your state licensing agency.
Does a speeding ticket in my own car count against my CDL?
It can. Speeding 15 mph or more over the limit is a serious traffic violation. In your own car, it counts toward a CDL disqualification if the conviction leads your state to suspend or revoke your license. Two serious violations in 3 years mean 60 days, and three mean 120 days.
What is CDL masking?
Masking is keeping a conviction off a driving record, for example through a diversion program or deferred judgment. Federal rule 49 CFR 384.226 bars states from masking any traffic conviction of a CDL or permit holder, in any vehicle, except parking, weight and vehicle defect violations.
Can a lifetime CDL disqualification be lifted?
Sometimes. A state may reinstate a driver after 10 years if the driver finishes a state-approved rehabilitation program. That option does not cover controlled substance or human trafficking felonies, or a driver who is disqualified again after reinstatement.
Haul Cars With Accelerated
We run OEM plant, port and rail freight with contract drivers. We ask for 3 years of CDL-A driving, 1 year of verifiable 9-car experience, an acceptable MVR and a clean safety history. Contract drivers get a $5,000 sign-on bonus, paid in the first month.
Ready now? Apply to contract with Accelerated.
Sources
Last checked September 28, 2026. This is a plain summary of federal rules, not legal advice. For your case, ask your state licensing agency or an attorney.