Even with professional help from a licensed, experienced OUI attorney, your life could change in a lot of ways if you are convicted of operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving a commercial vehicle. These large vehicles carry the potential for extensive damage to people and property, and the implications mean heavier …Continue Reading →

Although getting convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a serious situation regardless of what you are driving, it is especially serious when you are driving a commercial vehicle. You can kill people when driving a passenger vehicle under the influence, but you have a far greater capacity to kill, damage property, or cause serious bodily injuries with a bigger type of vehicle. Buses, tractor trailers, large tractors, and similar vehicles have a tremendous weight capacity, meaning that they can inflict far more damage when they are not driven or operated by someone with a very clear mind and quick reflexes…

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is always a serious crime, no matter what type of vehicle you are driving at the time of your arrest. Having a commercial driver’s license affects many different parts of the DUI arrest, from what type of vehicle you were driving at the time of arrest to the outcome of a conviction. Here are a few of the frequently asked questions surrounding a commercial vehicle and DUI arrest/conviction in Maine…

We have given you extensive information about how being convicted of an OUI can ruin your opportunity to drive for the foreseeable future, but there are other ways that it can change your driving privileges. Even with a valid driver’s license, factors such as the ones we will mention today may prevent you from driving normally. This has a huge impact on your ability to work, go to school, and can even affect your social life and similar relationships…

We have talked about court costs, ignition interlock devices, probation, license reinstatement, and SR-22 insurance as they relate to what things you will have to pay during the course of an OUI case. Operating under the influence is a serious charge, and there are many fees associated with a case. The following are more payment examples for OUI convictions, but keep in mind that these are all examples. Any, all, some, or none may apply to your case…

If you are suspended by The Bureau of Motor Vehicles here in Maine for a first offense OUI, and you hold a CDL, you will be suspended for a period of one year; even if you win the criminal case. It is imperative that you beat both the Bureau of Motor Vehicles suspension hearing and the criminal case in order to continue to drive. Even if you’re not operating a commercial vehicle when you’re pulled over, if you blow a 0.08 or greater, your CDL will still be suspended for a period of a year. That is unless you beat both the Bureau of Motor Vehicles suspension hearing and the criminal case…

Your wallet is one of the more sensitive parts of your anatomy, although you carry it instead of it being attached, and a hit to the wallet hurts worse than most injuries that lead to hospitalization. The difference is that it hurts more than just you.  It hurts your spouse, children, roommate, housemate, and any …Continue Reading →

In some cases, getting charged with driving under the influence is the extent of your criminal experience. Once the charges are dealt with and the case is over, you can begin rebuilding your life and getting back to as close as possible to the way things were before the arrest. However, this is not the way it always works, and sometimes other charges accompany the DUI that are very serious and these require just as much attention. The more charges you face, the more serious your situation becomes, and facing the DUI alone is very scary and stressful for everyone in your life…

Nobody plans on getting a DUI. Rather, most people head out for a few drinks and before they make it home the blue lights come on. You know the rest of the story. Unfortunately, far too often I have people coming through my office saying it’s much cheaper to plead guilty to a 1st offense …Continue Reading →

Throughout the course of this blog, you have been presented snippets of information related to a machine commonly called an IID ignition interlock device. This is a common sentencing alternative to total loss of driving privileges available to certain offenders, such as those convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol at least two times. It offers a compromise for those needing to drive to work or school and offers the court some much-needed security for public safety…

In most states, there are many different places that the average person can take a driving course to satisfy court requirements as related to a DUI conviction. However, in the state of Maine, there is only one place that you can take this type of course, since it is the only state-approved provider of alcohol …Continue Reading →