Montana has no separate DUI law for rideshare or delivery drivers. If you drive your own car for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or a similar service, the charge and the limits are the same as for any other driver. What is different is how much rides on the result: a suspended license stops the work, the platforms screen driving records on their own terms, and insurance for paid driving is a narrower market. This page takes those three in turn. It is part of our Montana DUI Guide.
The Same Limits Apply
The 0.04 per se limit applies to a person driving a commercial motor vehicle (MCA § 61-8-1002(1)(c)). Montana defines that term by gross weight ratings of 26,001 pounds or more, a design for at least 16 passengers including the driver, use as a school bus, or the transport of hazardous materials (MCA § 61-1-101). An ordinary sedan or SUV used for rides or deliveries does not fit that definition, so the 0.08 per se limit applies, along with the impairment offense, the THC limit, and the drug levels. Our page on Montana's terms and legal limits lists them all.
If you also hold a commercial driver's license, a DUI in your personal car affects it. See our page for CDL holders in a personal vehicle.
The License Is the First Problem
A first DUI conviction leads to a 6-month suspension (MCA § 61-5-208(2)(b)(i)). A second within the lookback period leads to 1 year, with no probationary license until at least 45 days have been served. On a first offense, a court can recommend a probationary license and may attach conditions such as an ignition interlock (MCA § 61-8-1010(1)). Our license suspension page covers the periods.
A refusal is harsher for someone who drives for income. Refusing a breath, blood, or oral fluid test brings a 6-month suspension for a first refusal with no provision for a restricted probationary license, and the Motor Vehicle Division may not issue a probationary license during it (MCA § 61-8-1032(2)(f) and (4)(a)). That suspension starts from the date of the refusal and does not depend on a conviction. If you refused, the 30-day petition deadline in MCA § 61-8-1017 deserves immediate attention.
Driving on a suspended license to keep earning is its own crime and can turn a later DUI into an aggravated one. It is not a workaround.
The Platform Decides Separately
A platform's decision about your account is a matter of its contract with you, not of the criminal court. Montana's statutes on transportation network carriers, in Title 69, chapter 12, deal with certificates, fares, insurance, and disclosures. The sections we read for this page do not set a rule about a driver's DUI history. That is left to the companies.
The companies publish their own standards. Uber's community guidelines state that drivers and delivery people undergo a screening process that includes motor vehicle record and criminal background checks, and that access can be lost if a check uncovers a matter relevant to use of the platform. Other platforms have their own versions. Three practical points follow:
- A platform may act on an arrest, a pending charge, a suspension, or a conviction, depending on its policy. Read the current terms instead of relying on what another driver was told.
- A not-guilty result or a reduced charge in court does not automatically restore an account. Ask the platform what documents it accepts.
- Disputes with a platform are contract or employment questions that fall outside what our firm handles.
Insurance for Paid Driving
Montana requires specific coverage when a driver is working through a rideshare app. It can be carried by the driver, the company, or both.
| When | Minimum liability coverage | MCA |
|---|---|---|
| Logged on to the app, waiting for a request | At least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for death and bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage | MCA § 69-12-343(2) |
| Engaged in a prearranged ride | At least $1,000,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage | MCA § 69-12-343(3) |
| Not logged on (personal use) | Montana's ordinary minimums: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, $20,000 property damage | MCA § 61-6-103(1)(b) |
The company must also tell drivers in writing that a personal auto policy might not provide coverage while the driver is logged on or on a ride, depending on its terms (MCA § 69-12-344). These rules are written for passenger rides. Delivery work is governed by the delivery company's terms and your own policy.
After a DUI, your personal insurer comes into the picture. Montana does not let an insurer set a special risk classification for a private passenger policy on adverse driving-record information that is 3 years old or older, and the limit for commercial automobile policies is 5 years (MCA § 33-16-201(4)(b) and (c)). A license suspension is also one of the two grounds on which an insurer may cancel a policy mid-term (MCA § 33-23-211(1)). We do not know of a regulator figure for how much premiums rise, so we do not quote one. Our page on car insurance after a DUI has more.
If You Drive for an Employer Instead
Some delivery drivers are employees who drive a company vehicle. Then the employer's insurer and the employer's policies set the rules, and they may require a driving record the insurer will accept. Our pages on telling your employer and background checks explain what tends to come up.
What This Means for the Defense
For a driver whose income depends on a license, the questions to raise early are specific: whether a probationary license will be available and when, whether an interlock restriction is workable in the car you use, and whether a refusal suspension can be challenged in time. None of that changes what the State has to prove, but it changes which outcomes are livable. Bring your platform agreements and your insurance declarations page to the first meeting.
This page explains Montana law in general as of the 2025 Montana Code Annotated and describes published platform policies as of October 2026. Platform terms change. It is not legal advice about your specific case.