N.M. Stat. Ann. § 66-5-68 – Disqualification

A. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for at least thirty days if the federal motor carrier safety administration reports to the division that the person poses an imminent hazard.
B. The department shall disqualify a person who holds a commercial driver's license or who is required to hold a commercial driver's license or commercial driver's instruction permit from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than one year, which shall run concurrently with any revocation or suspension action for the same offense, if the person:
1. (1) refuses to submit to a chemical test when requested pursuant to the provisions of the Implied Consent Act [66-8-105 to 66-8-112 NMSA 1978];
2. (2) is twenty-one years of age or more and submits to chemical testing pursuant to the Implied Consent Act and the test results indicate an alcohol concentration of eight one hundredths or more;
3. (3) submits to chemical testing pursuant to the Implied Consent Act and the test results indicate an alcohol concentration of four one hundredths or more if the person is driving a commercial motor vehicle;
4. (4) is less than twenty-one years of age and submits to chemical testing pursuant to the Implied Consent Act and the test results indicate an alcohol concentration of two one hundredths or more; or
5. (5) is convicted of a violation of:
  1. (a) driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs in violation of Section 66-8-102 NMSA 1978, an ordinance of a municipality of this state or the law of another state;
  2. (b) leaving the scene of an accident involving a commercial motor vehicle driven by the person in violation of Section 66-7-201 NMSA 1978 or an ordinance of a municipality of this state or the law of another state;
  3. (c) using a motor vehicle in the commission of a felony;
  4. (d) driving a commercial motor vehicle after the driver's commercial driver's license, non-domiciled commercial driver's license, commercial driver's instruction permit or non-domiciled commercial driver's instruction permit is revoked, suspended, disqualified or canceled for violations while operating a commercial motor vehicle; or
  5. (e) causing a fatality in the unlawful operation of a motor vehicle pursuant to Section 66-8-101 NMSA 1978.
C. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than three years if any of the violations specified in Subsection B of this section occur while transporting a hazardous material required to be placarded.
D. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for life if convicted of two or more violations of any of the offenses specified in Subsection B of this section, or any combination of those offenses, arising from two or more separate incidents, but the secretary may issue rules establishing guidelines, including conditions, under which a disqualification for life under this subsection may be reduced to a period of not less than ten years. This subsection applies only to those offenses committed after July 1, 1989.
E. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for life if the person is convicted of using a motor vehicle in the commission of any felony involving the manufacture, distribution or dispensing of a controlled substance or involving an act or practice of severe forms of trafficking in persons, as defined in federal law.
F. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than sixty days if convicted of two serious traffic violations or one hundred twenty days if convicted of three serious traffic violations, if the violations were committed while driving a commercial motor vehicle, arising from separate incidents occurring within a three-year period.
G. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of:
1. (1) not less than one hundred eighty days nor more than two years if the person is convicted of a first violation of an out-of-service order while transporting hazardous materials required to be placarded pursuant to the federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Act or while operating a motor vehicle designed to transport more than fifteen passengers, including the driver;
2. (2) not more than one year if the person is convicted of a first violation of an out-of-service order; or
3. (3) not less than three years nor more than five years if, during any ten-year period, the person is convicted of any subsequent violations of out-of-service orders, in separate incidents, while transporting hazardous materials required to be placarded pursuant to that act or while operating a motor vehicle designed to transport more than fifteen passengers, including the driver.
H. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for sixty days if:
1. (1) the person has been convicted of two serious traffic violations in separate incidents within a three-year period; and
2. (2) the second conviction results in revocation, cancellation or suspension of the person's commercial driver's license, non-domiciled commercial driver's license, commercial driver's instruction permit or non-domiciled commercial driver's instruction permit or noncommercial motor vehicle driving privileges for sixty days.
I. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for one hundred twenty days, in addition to any other period of disqualification, if:
1. (1) the person has been convicted of more than two serious traffic violations within a three-year period; and
2. (2) the third or a subsequent conviction results in the revocation, cancellation or suspension of the person's commercial driver's license, non-domiciled commercial driver's license, commercial driver's instruction permit or non-domiciled commercial driver's instruction permit or noncommercial motor vehicle driving privileges.
J. When a person is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle, any commercial driver's license held by that person is invalidated without a separate proceeding of any kind and the driver is not eligible to apply for a commercial driver's license until the period of time for which the driver was disqualified has elapsed.
K. The department shall disqualify a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for not less than:
1. (1) sixty days if the person is convicted of a first violation of a railroad-highway grade crossing violation;
2. (2) one hundred twenty days if, during any three-year period, the person is convicted of a second railroad-highway grade crossing violation in a separate incident; and
3. (3) one year if, during any three-year period, the person is convicted of a third or subsequent railroad-highway grade crossing violation in a separate incident.
L. After disqualifying, suspending, revoking or canceling a commercial driver's license, the department shall, within ten days, update its records to reflect that action. After disqualifying, suspending, revoking or canceling a non-domiciled commercial driver's privileges, the department shall, within ten days, notify the licensing authority of the state that issued the commercial driver's license.
M. When disqualifying, suspending, revoking or canceling a commercial driver's license, the department shall treat a conviction received in another state in the same manner as if it was received in this state.
N. The department shall post and enforce any disqualification sent by the federal motor carrier safety administration to the department that indicates that a commercial motor vehicle driver poses an imminent hazard.
O. The federal transportation security administration of the department of homeland security shall provide for an appeal of a disqualification for a commercial driver's license hazardous materials endorsement on the basis of a background check, and the department shall provide to a hazardous materials applicant a copy of the procedures established by the transportation security administration, on request, at the time of application.
P. New Mexico shall conform to the federal transportation security administration of the department of homeland security rules and shall "look back" or review a maximum of seven years for a background check.

History: Laws 1989, ch. 14, § 17; 1990, ch. 120, § 30; 1992, ch. 13, § 8; 2000, ch. 71, § 2; 2003, ch. 51, § 5; 2003, ch. 90, § 2; 2004, ch. 59, § 18; 2005, ch. 310, § 3; 2005, ch. 312, § 7; 2007, ch. 321, § 8; 2008, ch. 72, § 2; 2009, ch. 200, § 5; 2016, ch. 63, § 3; 2022, ch. 24, § 6.

ANNOTATIONS

Compiler's notes. — The federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, referred to in Subsection G, was Act Jan. 3, 1975, P.L. 93-633, 88 Stat. 2156, which was initially classified as 49 USCS §§ 1801 et seq. and subsequently reclassified as 49 USCS Appx §§ 1801 et seq., and repealed by Act July 5, 1994, P.L. 103-272, § 7(b), 108 Stat. 1379. Similar provisions appear as 49 USCS §§ 5101 et seq.

The 2022 amendment, effective January 1, 2023, amended various disqualification provisions to include drivers who hold a commercial driver's instruction permit, a non-domiciled commercial driver's license, or a non-domiciled commercial driver's instruction permit, and added a new disqualification provision that disqualifies a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for life for committing certain felonies related to trafficking in persons; in Subsection B, after "hold a commercial driver's license", added "or commercial driver's instruction permit", in Subparagraph B(5)(d), after "the driver's commercial driver's license", added "non-domiciled commercial driver's license, commercial driver's instruction permit or non-domiciled commercial driver's instruction permit"; in Subsection E, after "or of dispensing of a controlled substance", added "or involving an act or practice of severe forms of trafficking in persons, as defined in federal law"; in Subsection H, Paragraph H(2), after "the person's commercial driver's license", added "non-domiciled commercial driver's license, commercial driver's instruction permit or non-domiciled commercial driver's instruction permit"; in Subsection I, Paragraph I(2), after "the person's commercial driver's license", added "non-domiciled commercial driver's license, commercial driver's instruction permit or non-domiciled commercial driver's instruction permit"; and in Subsection L, after "revoking or canceling a", deleted "nonresident" and added "non-domiciled".

The 2016 amendment, effective May 18, 2016, removed the offense of using a motor vehicle in the commission of a felony involving possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute from the list of offenses for which a commercial drivers license shall be revoked for life, and required a conviction for such revocation; in Subsection D, after "secretary may issue", deleted "regulations" and added "rules"; and in Subsection E, after "if the person", deleted "uses a commercial" and added "is convicted of using", and after "dispensing of a controlled substance", deleted "or the possession with intent to manufacture, distribute or dispense a controlled substance".

The 2009 amendment, effective July 1, 2009, made no changes.

The 2008 amendment, effective May 14, 2008, in Subsection B, provided for the disqualification of a person who is required to hold a commercial driver’s license and added Paragraph (2) of Subsection G.

The 2007 amendment, effective April 2, 2007, changed "commercial motor vehicle" to "motor vehicle"; authorized the department to disqualify a person from driving a commercial vehicle for 120 days in addition to any other period of disqualification; and added Subsection M, which provided that convictions in other states be treated as convictions in this state.

The 2005 amendment, effective July 1, 2005, in Subsection B, provided that the department shall disqualify a person who holds a commercial driver's license from driving a commercial motor vehicle for the listed causes and that the one year period shall run concurrently with any revocation or suspension action for the same offense; added Subsection B(2) to provide that a person is disqualified if the person is twenty-one years of age or more and a chemical test indicates an alcohol concentration of eight one hundredths or more; and added Subsection B(3) to provide that a person is disqualified if the person is less than twenty-one years of age and a chemical test indicates an alcohol concentration of two one hundredths or more.

Laws 2005, ch. 310, § 3, effective June 17, 2005, also amended 66-5-68 NMSA 1978. The section was set out as amended by Laws 2005, ch. 312, § 7. See 12-1-8 NMSA 1978.

The 2004 amendment, effective March 4, 2004, added Subsection A, redesignated Subsections A to E as Subsections B to G, added new Subparagraphs (d) and (e) to Paragraph (2) of Subsection B, added new Subsections H and I, redesignated Subsection G as Subsection J, added Subsection K, redesignated Subsection H as Subsection L, deleted Subsection I and added Subsection M.

The 2003 amendment, effective March 28, 2003, in Subparagraph A(2)(a), deleted "Section 66-5-68.1 NMSA 1978" preceding "Section 66-8-102 NMSA 1978".

Laws 2003, ch. 51, § 5, effective March 19, 2003, also amended 66-5-68 NMSA 1978. The section was set out as amended by Laws 2003, ch. 90, § 2. See 12-1-8 NMSA 1978.

The 2000 amendment, effective May 17, 2000, substituted "intoxicating liquor or drugs in violation of Section" for "alcohol or a controlled substance, pursuant to Section" in Subsection A(2), inserted Subsection F, and redesignated the remaining subsections accordingly.

The 1992 amendment, effective April 1, 1992, substituted "Disqualification" for "Cancellation" in the catchline; rewrote the provisions of former Subsection A and redesignated them as present Subsections A and B; redesignated former Subsections B to G as present Subsections C to H; deleted "or who is convicted of any violation of the Controlled Substances Act" at the end of Subsection D; twice inserted "disqualifying" in Subsection G; added "or the implied consent act of another state" at the end of Subsection H; and made minor stylistic changes throughout the section.

The 1990 amendment, effective July 1, 1990, in Subsection B, substituted "secretary" for "taxation and revenue department" in the first sentence and "July 1, 1989" for "the effective date of the New Mexico Commercial Driver's License Act" at the end of the second sentence; added present Subsection E; redesignated former Subsections F and G as present Subsections E and F; and, in present Subsection F, deleted "taxation and revenue" preceding "department" in the first sentence.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — Validity, construction and application of state or local law prohibiting maintenance of vehicle for purpose of keeping or selling controlled substances, 31 A.L.R.5th 760.