Los Angeles Commercial DUI Defense Attorney

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Commercial DUI Defense Attorney in Los Angeles

If you have been charged with a commercial DUI in Los Angeles your career is at risk alongside your freedom. California holds commercial drivers to a stricter standard than other motorists and the consequences of a conviction hit harder and faster than most defendants expect. At The Law Offices of Arash Hashemi our criminal defense attorney has spent over 20 years defending clients against DUI charges throughout Los Angeles County. Contact our office today at (310) 448-1529 for a free confidential consultation.

Commercial drivers in California are subject to a 0.04 percent blood alcohol limit under Vehicle Code 23152(d) — half the legal limit that applies to everyone else. That means a commercial driver can be arrested and charged at a level where a non-commercial driver would not even be stopped. The lower threshold catches people who would never expect to be over the legal limit and the consequences that follow are severe on two separate tracks at the same time.

The criminal case and the DMV action run simultaneously from the moment of arrest and both have deadlines that begin immediately. On the criminal side a first offense is a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in county jail, fines, DUI probation, and a mandatory DUI program. On the CDL side the DMV consequences are career-ending. A first commercial DUI triggers a mandatory one-year disqualification of your commercial driver’s license under federal standards. A second offense results in a lifetime CDL disqualification with no reinstatement pathway in most cases. If the DUI occurred while transporting hazardous materials a first offense triggers a three-year disqualification. These disqualifications are federal and they apply regardless of what happens to the criminal case.

That last point is what most defendants do not understand until it is too late. Getting the criminal charge reduced or dismissed does not automatically undo the CDL disqualification. The two proceedings are separate and must be addressed separately. A strategy focused only on the criminal case without addressing the DMV action simultaneously can leave a commercial driver permanently off the road even after winning in court. Our criminal defense attorney analyzes both tracks from the first consultation and builds a strategy that addresses every consequence from the beginning.

The defense starts with the stop and the chemical testing. At a 0.04 percent threshold a margin of error in the blood alcohol testing methodology is proportionally more significant than in a standard DUI case. Equipment calibration records, chain of custody for blood samples, and whether field sobriety tests were administered according to standardized protocols all matter and all are examined from the first day. When the stop lacked reasonable suspicion or the investigation was conducted improperly the foundation of the prosecution’s case is vulnerable regardless of the BAC result.

Our firm understands that for a commercial driver this charge is not just a legal problem. It is your livelihood, your career, and everything you have built professionally. Our criminal defense attorney will review every detail of the stop and investigation, explain what you are facing on both the criminal and DMV side, and build a defense strategy that protects both. Every case is handled personally by Attorney Arash Hashemi with no associates and no handoffs. If you have been charged with a commercial DUI in Los Angeles contact our office immediately. Both the DMV and criminal deadlines start running from the moment of arrest. Contact our office today for a free confidential consultation.

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We are conveniently located in the Westside Towers serving clients facing commercial DUI charges across Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, and all surrounding communities. Your defense starts the moment you call.