2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 61. Motor Vehicles › Chapter 8. Traffic Regulation › Part 8. Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety › 61-8-806. Blood and breath tests of commercial vehicle operators -- procedure -- suspension

61-8-806. Blood and breath tests of commercial vehicle operators -- procedure -- suspension.
(1) A person who operates a commercial motor vehicle upon the ways of this state open to the public is considered to have given consent to one or more tests of the person's blood or breath for the purpose of determining a measured amount or detected presence of alcohol in the person's body if the person is requested to submit to the test or tests by a peace officer who has reasonable grounds to believe that the person was driving or in actual physical control of a commercial motor vehicle upon the ways of this state open to the public while having a measured alcohol concentration or detected presence of alcohol. The peace officer may designate the blood or breath test or tests to be administered and may request that the person submit to a preliminary alcohol screening test before a blood, breath, or urine test is taken.
(2) A person who is unconscious or who is otherwise incapable of refusal is considered not to have withdrawn the consent provided in subsection (1).
(3) If a person refuses to submit to one or more tests designated by the officer, the test or tests may not be given, but the officer shall immediately seize the person's commercial driver's license and forward the license to the department, along with a report certified under penalty of law that the officer had reasonable grounds to believe that the person was driving or was in actual physical control of a commercial motor vehicle upon ways of this state open to the public while having a measurable alcohol concentration or detected presence of alcohol and that the person had refused to submit to one or more tests upon the request of the officer. Upon receipt of the report, the department shall suspend the license for a period provided in subsection (5).
(4) Upon seizure of a person's commercial driver's license, the peace officer shall issue, on behalf of the department, a temporary 5-day noncommercial driving permit, effective 12 hours after the time of issuance, and shall provide the person with written notice of the license suspension and the right to a hearing under 61-8-808.
(5) Upon receipt of the officer's certified report, the department shall suspend the person's commercial driver's license, with no provision for a restricted probationary commercial driver's license, for:
(a) 1 year, upon a first refusal, except that if the violation occurred in a commercial motor vehicle transporting placardable hazardous materials, the suspension for a first refusal must be for 3 years;
(b) life, upon a second or subsequent refusal at any time as determined from the records of the department, subject to department rules adopted to implement federal rules allowing for driver rehabilitation and license reinstatement, if otherwise eligible, upon service of a minimum period of 10 years' suspension. If the person has a prior conviction of a major offense listed in 61-8-802(2) arising from a separate incident, the conviction has the same effect as a previous testing refusal for purposes of this subsection (5)(b).
History: En. Sec. 6, Ch. 378, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 563, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 789, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 31, Ch. 195, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 53, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 88, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 105, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 18, Ch. 428, L. 2003.