Alcohol and Drugs
Alcohol and Drugs
Illinois tests the CDL alcohol rules and the passenger driver's duty to stay fit for duty. The standards are stricter than for non-commercial drivers.
Core rules
- A CDL holder operating a CMV with a BAC of 0.04 or higher is prohibited. The non-commercial 0.08 limit does not apply.
- Do not drive within four hours of consuming alcohol, and, as the driver, do not possess alcohol in the passenger compartment except as manifested cargo or in a sealed package.
- Illegal drugs are prohibited. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs are allowed only if they do not impair driving; ask a pharmacist or doctor about effects.
- Refusing a required alcohol or drug test has the same consequences as a positive test.
- Report convictions and license suspensions to your employer as required.
- Passenger carriers must use pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable-suspicion, return-to-duty, and follow-up testing.
Worked example
A driver had two beers two hours before reporting. The driver feels fine and has a 0.03 BAC on a home test. The driver still may not drive: the four-hour rule is independent of the 0.04 limit. The correct action is to report unfit for duty and not operate the bus.
Traps
- Using the 0.08 limit as a defense.
- Assuming legal prescription drugs cannot impair.
- Refusing a test to avoid a positive result.
- Forgetting that alcohol possession in the CMV is separate from impairment.