How the NDR Works
The “National Driver Register,” commonly called the “NDR” is a database maintained by the U.S. Government, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NDR contains identifying information about all drivers licensed in the US. The purpose and features of the NDR are discussed below. The bottom line is that the NDR is a tool to enforce government power by allowing States to control your ability to drive and thus, your ability to move about, make a living, care for you family. Thankfully “ineligible” status is usually temporary. But what can you do if a state, like Florida, Missouri, Massachusetts or New York has declared you ineligible to be licensed for many years or even for life?
The Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS), is a subdivision of the main NDR database. The PDPS “flags” drivers who have been “restrained” by a state DMV. If the PDPS shows you as “ineligible” most states will refuse to give you any type of driver’s license.
Why Your Name Is On The NDR
The records maintained by the NDR consist of identification information including name, date of birth, sex, driver’s license number and reporting state for every licensed driver in the United States. So everybody who has a driver’s license has their name on the NDR. When you apply for a driver’s license, the DMV will search for your record on the NDR.
If a state has post any adverse information about your driver’s license history on the NDR, a subsystem called the PDPS will point to a State of Record (SOR) where an your driver status and history information is maintained and indicate whether that state is asking other states not go give you a driver’s license, i.e., whether you are “eligible” or “ineligible”.
Your name might wind up on the PDPS if you are convicted of certain driving offenses, if you have unpaid fines or court costs, if you have owe criminal restitution, if you failed to go to court when required or if you didn’t finish probation. In recent years non-driving related issues have been added to the list of things for which you can be declared “ineligible” such as non-payment of child support.
Perpetual Punishment: The NDR
Probably the number one reason people find themselves with long term or lifetime NDR holds are excessive DUI convictions. At the urging of special interest groups like the Mad Mother’s, many states unfairly prevent people with three or more DUI convictions in a lifetime from ever driving again, even if they have transitioned to a sober lifestyle. Permanent driver’s license revocation is both cruel and unnecessary especially for people who have transitioned to sober living. For this reason one of my major areas of practice is helping sober driver’s with a history of past DUIs drive again. While drunk driving is a serious problem, a few mistakes when someone is young should not be the basis of lifetime punishment for those who have defeated addiction and currently enjoy a sober lifestyle!
Can I Get My Name Removed From the NDR?
Most driver’s license attorneys will tell you that there is nothing you an do to get you name taken off the NDR/PDPS unless the State that uploaded your name on the PDPS agrees to remove it. For most driver’s getting their name removed from the PDPS requires that they contact the state that implemented the hold to find out their “reinstatement requirements.” Once the reinstatement requirements are completed most states will remove the hold. Often the reinstatement requirements are to take some type of classes, pay money to the State and wait a number of months or years before you can reinstate. However, the reinstatement requirements are not always that simple to complete. Some states, Florida, New York for instance impose very long term driver’s license holds upon people with multiple drunk driving convictions. In addition if these states allow re-licensing at all the applicant must usually consent to long term monitoring by the state and pay substantial amounts of money over long periods of time. For many people reinstatement may not be an option. That is where we can help!
How About A Hardship License?
Colorado does not issue hardship licenses if you are restrained in another state, but you can get a valid Colorado Operators License using a loophole in Colorado Law. Consider this as an option if your license has been revoked for several years or you are under a lifetime restraint. Examples of restraints we can fix are New York’s “Forfeiture” and Florida’s “Lifetime Revocation.” Call us today to get started – you could be driving legally in as little as one month!