Keeping track of your license and its expiry date is as important as ensuring you maintain your workout regimen. Your CDL license took effort to get and you must endeavor to be timely about its renewal or cautious enough to know when it expires.
You are legally allowed to be on the highway as long as you have your license and yearly medical certificate up-to-date, hence it would be great to avoid your license expiring without making any immediate arrangements to renew it. If your CDL expires, you will not be allowed to drive a commercial vehicle and you risk being fined or arrested if caught doing so.
Understandably, you might be occupied with work or it simply skipped your mind that your license will be expiring soon, howbeit, you can always make arrangements to fill the form, take the necessary tests given the situation ( if you have not driven for a while) and update your medical records.
How Long is a CDL Valid for?
Nothing lasts forever and the same goes for your CDL license. Depending on your state of residence or the State you got your license in, it is usually valid from 5-8 years. The health test is crucial to keep the job so as to examine if you are healthy enough to be on the road, but the license lasts and is valid until the day it expires. In order to avoid the challenges that come with moving around with an expired license, it is always best to renew your license before it expires.
What Happens if you are Caught Driving with an Expired CDL?
Based on where you live, your driving license is most likely to expire on your birthday; they make it collide with a significant date for easy remembrance. Driving with an expired license is a criminal offense that attracts punishments; punishments range from mild to severe.
However, your license could expire on you if you were not conscious of its expiry date. If you are caught driving with an expired license, depending on the date of expiry, the police officer you encounter and your state of residence, the punishments differ. The different things that can happen if you are caught with an expired license include:
- You could get off with a simple warning by the police officer.
- You might be given a “fix-it-ticket” by the officer stating an exact day for you to renew your license and submit proof to the authorities, hence you will be penalized.
- You can be suspended off the road for two months if you are a first time offender
- You might be fined a ticket of $250 and above
- You risk points being added to your record which can jeopardize your driving career and affect other aspects of your life.
- The police can impound your vehicle.
- And the most severe of punishments is being arrested or jail time.
Letting your CDL expire, also has an adverse effect on your insurance. It is usually advisable to book for a renewal a month ahead and renew your license because once your license expires, your insurance rates skyrocket and do not reduce for years. The result of this is, you will be paying higher premiums each time you have to renew your insurance policy.
You must also bear in mind that in the case of any eventuality that occurs with your vehicle involved, your insurance company has legal rights to deny all claims since your vehicle was not legally licensed as at the time of the incident/accident or occurrence− by this you could lose a lot of money since the insurance company denied coverage.
The Process Of Renewing Your CDL License
Best road practice advocates that you renew your license before the expiration date. Each State has a varied method of renewing licenses, so while some States require you to be physically present at the local Department of Motor Vehicles Office, some States could permit you to renew your license online or by mail. Renewing your license can be relatively easy, and stringent depending on your State.
You are required to fill out an application form to renew your license. This form can be filled physically, online or can be printed, filled and mailed. The form requires that you provide certain information such as:
- A recent eye test/exam to prove that your eyesight is still in good shape and your vision is stable enough to drive a commercial vehicle.
- A recent medical record showing that you are physically fit to ply the roads.
- You must pay all the license renewal fees which most times range between $25-$150
- You might retake the CDL exams if you have not been driving for a while (this depends on the last time you frequented the roads)
Conclusion
An up-to-date license not only presents you with better insurance car rates, but also ensures your truck driving experience is smooth and your job executed hitch free. A lot could happen when your license expires so it is best to avoid unpleasant situations by renewing it timely.
