DUI Can Affect Jobs and Careers

A Practical Problem: Getting to Work

In the short term, a DUI usually makes it more challenging to keep a job. In some cases a DUI can result in the loss of employment.

The first and most common reason is obvious. If your license is suspended it could be a challenge to find reliable, affordable transportation to and from work. If your job requires you to drive, you will have to disclose to your employer that you can't drive during any license suspension period. This fact alone sometimes puts a person out of a job.

In order to drive with a hardship permit, a person will have to obtain insurance (SR-22 coverage) and have an ignition interlock device installed in any vehicle the person drives.

A surprising number of occupational credentials are affected by laws and regulations that deny professional and business licenses to persons with a conviction (or diversion) for DUI.

The list is extensive, and includes the following job titles: commercial driver, lawyer, pilot, medical professional, dentist, pharmacist, bail bond agent, accountant, SEC (Series 7, etc.), real estate broker, pharmaceutical sales, military, teacher, daycare provider, USCG captain, person with government security clearance, liquor licensee, bus driver, conductor, taxi driver, auto sales, foster care provider, and marijuana grower.

Getting a Hardship Permit

If DMV has suspended a driver's license for 90 days, a hardship permit can be issued 30 days into the suspension period. If a a DMV suspension is for one year, the hardship can be issued after 90 days. The hardship permit allows a person to drive to and from work, and practically nothing else.

In order to drive with a hardship permit, a person will have to obtain insurance (SR-22 coverage) and have an ignition interlock device installed in any vehicle the person drives.