In Illinois, an individual’s driver’s license can be suspended or revoked for driving under the influence of alcohol DUI), receiving several driving violations, failure to pay toll road fees, and even failure to pay child support. If an individual’s license is revoked, the only way to reinstate the license and recover the ability to drive is to meet certain eligibility requirements and attend a Secretary of State (SOS) driver’s license reinstatement hearing.

Informal Driver’s License Reinstatement Hearings

There are two types of license reinstatement hearings in Illinois. If you lost your license due to a first-time DUI or moving violation, you will probably be eligible for an informal reinstatement hearing.  Informal hearings are conducted at an SOS Driver Services facility. Unlike a formal driver’s license reinstatement hearing, most informal hearings are conducted on a walk-in basis. However, this does not mean that you should walk into an informal hearing unprepared.

Before you go to the hearing, make sure you understand exactly what is expected of you. Depending on the results of your drug and alcohol risk evaluation, you may need to complete DUI risk education classes or complete a substance abuse program to reclaim your driving privileges.

According to Illinois law, there are a number of violations for which a CDL driver can face fines and the temporary suspension of their commercial driver’s license. These penalties can have quite serious consequences, especially for those who rely on their CDL for their livelihood. However, some violations can come with even more serious consequences, including a lifetime disqualification of a driver’s CDL. If you are facing charges for one of these CDL violations, it is crucial that you have a strong defense strategy.

Which CDL Violations Can Result in Lifetime Disqualification? 

In Illinois, CDL drivers will rarely face a lifetime disqualification of their license for a first violation of any kind. However, there are several offenses for which a first violation will result in disqualification for at least 12 months. If a driver commits two of these offenses, or the same offense twice, in two separate incidents, the penalty increases to a lifetime disqualification. The violations for which this applies include:

• Refusing to submit to a chemical test for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or other controlled substances

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The United States Constitution guarantees many rights for American citizens, such as the right to free speech, to protest, and to bear arms. Though many people think driving is a right, it is not. It is a privilege. There is nothing that guarantees your right to drive a vehicle. 

In Illinois, there are multiple ways you can lose your license, some that have nothing to do with moving violations. Before a driver’s license suspension, the Illinois Secretary of State will send you a written notice in the mail. 

Here are a few ways you can lose your driving privileges in Illinois:

There are several DUI-related reasons why you could lose your driver’s license in Illinois - you could have been pulled over for a suspected DUI and refused chemical testing for your BAC, you may have failed a chemical test (meaning your BAC was .08 or greater), or you could have been convicted of a DUI. 

Regardless of why you lost your driving privileges, before your license can be reinstated, you must attend a license reinstatement hearing at the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, where your case will be examined by a hearing officer. There are two types of hearings that the Office conducts: formal and informal. The type of hearing that you must attend is entirely dependent on the nature of the suspension or revocation. Each type of hearing has different requirements, which is why it is important to be prepared and know which type of hearing you will be required to attend.

Informal Hearings

Like their name suggests, informal hearings are not as intense as formal hearings. You can attend an informal hearing to have your license reinstated if:

If your Illinois driver’s license has been revoked for driving under the influence, you anxiously await the day when you are free to drive again with no restrictions. However, Illinois does not make it easy to get your license reinstated after a DUI conviction. 

If you live in Illinois, you will have to appear in person before a Secretary of State hearing officer, who will consider your request for reinstatement, and they may choose to deny your request for any number of reasons. Good preparation is key to success at these hearings. Here are a few of the important steps you must complete before you can even have that hearing:

Determine if You Are Eligible to Apply Yet 

You cannot apply for reinstatement of your driver’s license until your revocation period is up. For example, let us assume that you received the usual six-month statutory summary suspension of your driver’s license for testing over the legal limit for drugs or alcohol at the time of your DUI arrest. Then, at your sentencing, your license was revoked for a minimum of one year. On that date, you had already served three months of your suspension. Those three months will be credited toward your minimum period of revocation, leaving you with nine more months of revocation to serve. At the end of that nine months, you can apply for reinstatement.