Utah DUI CDL advice needed

[ilovetrucks]

I need help with a Utah DUI case. The problem is that I'm a truck driver with a CDL, and I don't live, nor hang my license, in Utah. The DUI arrest did not happen in a commercial vehicle and there was no accident, but I understand that if I get the DUI on my record that I will lose my CDL in my home state.

I really want to hire a Utah DUI lawyer, but unfortunately, I don't have a dollar to my name right now and can't get a loan because my credit is all tied up in the loan I have out on my rig and the insurance payments. If I get the DUI I will lose everything.

I'm partly considering just not acknowledging the charges and never driving into Utah again. Would this be an effective way to avoid getting the DUI on my national record and then losing my CDL?

[ilovetrucks]

Will Utah issue a warrant for your arrest if you don't show up for a misdemeanor DUI court date?

[Abe Bates]

If you fail to appear for a DUI charge in Utah, a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest. While it is unlikely that law enforcement in Utah will actively search for an out-of-state resident based on a misdemeanor warrant, the warrant information will be available in law enforcement systems.

After a certain amount of time, a conviction on the DUI can be entered against you by default if you fail to appear. When you are ticketed and/or booked and released on the DUI, you sign a promise to appear. By signing that promise to appear, you acknowledge that you have notice of the DUI charge so you can't later argue you didn't know about it.

All 50 states share DMV information, so a Utah conviction and subsequent license suspension would be broadcast to every other state.

In sum, failing to appear on a Utah DUI will have consequences for your out-of-state license.