DUI and Employment in Atlanta

DUI and Employment in Atlanta

Employers typically conduct background checks as part of the hiring process for jobs involving driving, such as delivery driver or tractor or forklift operator positions.

Georgia does not automatically expunge DUI convictions from your record, meaning even those that occurred years ago could appear during background checks. There are legal solutions to minimize their effect.

First-Time Offenses

An initial DUI offense can have serious repercussions. Motorists travelling on Interstate 285 between Center Ice Arena and Allen Park or driving to work in Roswell or Alpharetta who are pulled over may find themselves arrested and facing significant DUI charges; first-offenders do not qualify for diversion programs or one-time clean slates like many other criminals; their driver’s license may even be suspended.

An impaired driving charge can be devastating for those who rely on their cars to reach work. Being without a license means having to depend on friends and family for transportation to work or use public transit or taxi services such as Uber and Lyft; this may prove particularly challenging if living in areas without good public transit or having long commutes for work is required.

DUI convictions make finding employment more challenging, particularly in an extremely competitive job market. Even if your DUI charges were dismissed or conditionally discharged, it will still appear when employers search your background check; many may misinterpret this as evidence that you’re irresponsible and choose another candidate instead.

Restrictions

Many criminal convictions can have collateral consequences, which means that they can impact how people earn a living after serving their sentences. DUI convictions frequently have this impact; for instance, they may lead to mandatory alcohol/drug classes, community service requirements and restrictions that limit someone’s driving ability – making employment with any job that requires driving even harder to attain.

Some employers might not take too seriously an applicant’s DUI conviction from years or decades ago; however, other employers take it more seriously and might interpret a DUI as evidence of substance abuse or other problems affecting an employee – as well as being concerned that such conviction could impact insurance rates that they must cover their employees with.

Commercial Driver License (CDL) holders are particularly susceptible to the consequences of DUIs as their livelihood depends on driving skills. If a CDL holder gets arrested for DUI, their regular driver’s license could be suspended as well as employment prospects in transportation altogether – most trucking companies and employers run background checks on drivers which means an arrest could jeopardise future employment prospects within this field.

License Suspension

No matter the outcome of your DUI case, whether it is probation or conviction, you risk the possibility of losing your driver’s license. According to Georgia law, if you submit to blood or breath testing and blow over the legal limit for DUI, your license will likely be suspended. However, an Atlanta DUI lawyer can file for an administrative license suspension hearing to fight this suspension and may help secure you an interim restricted permit during this time.

Unfortunately, having a DUI record can be detrimental to many jobs that involve regular driving – such as sales, truck driving and catering. Employers frequently run background checks, which show any instances of DUIs on your record even if it occurred years or decades ago; many employers simply won’t risk hiring someone with such a mark against their name.

Georgia and most other states operate under at-will employment arrangements, meaning your employer can terminate you at any time for any reason or no reason at all. If you’re concerned that your DUI case might have an impactful effect on current or future employment opportunities, consulting an Atlanta DUI trial attorney at Chestney & Sullivan may help identify possible defense strategies in your case.

Termination

An arrest for DUI can seriously impair an individual’s ability to do their job, and could even result in termination or reassignment. Certain professions – like healthcare and legal work – require their employees to maintain specific licenses or certifications; an DUI arrest could trigger reviews of these licenses which lead to suspension or revocation – potentially leading to suspension, and thus leading to termination.

Terminate is often associated with death and violence; perhaps in part due to movies featuring time-travelling killer robots like Terminator. However, in employment terms it refers to ending someone’s employment relationship with a particular company, either voluntary or involuntary; any reason may need to be provided when leaving their position.

Employers in Georgia, where DUI convictions cannot be erased from criminal records, tend to be wary of hiring those with past DUI arrests – particularly if their job requires driving company vehicles. Larger companies generally run background checks prior to hiring someone and seeing that applicant listed with a DUI will likely count against them as it will appear negatively on an application for employment. Thankfully, however, state law protects people against discrimination on account of criminal histories including arrests that did not lead to conviction.