Drink driving in Logan and Beenleigh: court, licence, livelihood
TRAFFIC LAW · LOGAN AND BEENLEIGH
Drink driving in Logan and Beenleigh: court, licence, livelihood
A drink driving charge reads differently depending on how you earn your living. For a lot of people in Logan and Beenleigh - tradespeople running between sites, transport and delivery drivers, shift workers coming off a late finish - the licence is the livelihood. The fine stings for a month. The disqualification can cost you the job.
If you were charged along the Logan corridor, your matter will usually be listed at Beenleigh. What follows is how the process runs, why the disqualification deserves more of your attention than the fine, and the deadline that decides whether you can keep driving for work. Aegis Law Group is a Brisbane firm, at 33 Queen Street, Brisbane.
01 / THE COURT
Where your matter will be heard
Your notice to appear or bail undertaking will state the court and your first court date, called a mention - usually Beenleigh Magistrates Court. Check the address and opening hours on the Queensland Courts website before you go.
Two practical points about that first mention. First, nothing forces you to finalise the matter that day. Second, you should not plead guilty until the police court brief, the QP9, has been obtained and read. Pleading guilty means accepting the facts as police describe them, and those facts drive the penalty.
02 / THE READING
The reading sets the range
Queensland grades drink driving by blood or breath alcohol concentration. Low-range (general alcohol limit) runs from 0.05 to under 0.10. Mid-range runs from 0.10 to under 0.15. High-range is 0.15 and over: the most serious category, carrying the longest disqualifications and, for repeat offences, a real prospect of imprisonment. Learner, provisional, probationary and some professional drivers are held to a zero limit, and drug driving has its own scheme.
Two features of the system surprise people. Disqualification is mandatory on conviction: the Magistrate must disqualify you within the range set for your reading and history, so the question is how long, not whether. And for some charges, including mid-range and high-range readings, your licence is suspended immediately from the time you are charged, so you may be off the road before you ever see a courtroom. The full ranges are in our guide to Queensland drink driving penalties and work licences.
03 / LIVELIHOOD
Why disqualification is the real penalty
Work in the Logan corridor tends to mean driving: to sites spread between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, to depots and warehouses, to shifts that start before public transport does. Lose the licence and you can lose the means of getting to work at all, and in plenty of jobs holding a licence is part of the job itself.
Within the mandatory range, where you land turns on familiar sentencing considerations: your reading, your traffic history, why you drove and how far, whether anyone was put at risk, your plea, and what you have done since the charge. Completing a recognised traffic offender program before sentence, gathering character references, and being able to explain honestly what has changed can all be taken into account.
04 / WORK LICENCE
The work licence: apply before conviction
For eligible offenders, the court can grant a restricted licence, commonly called a work licence: permission to keep driving for work purposes during the disqualification.
The eligibility rules are strict. In broad terms, you must have held a current open licence, your reading must be under 0.15, the offence must not have happened while driving for work in certain categories, and your recent history must be clear of like offences and earlier suspensions or disqualifications. The timing rule is unforgiving: the application must be made before you are sentenced, not after. Plead guilty at the first mention to get it over with, and the opportunity can be lost.
The application runs on evidence: an affidavit from you, and usually one from your employer, establishing that you are a fit and proper person to hold a restricted licence and that losing your licence would deprive you or your family of the means of earning a living. That material takes time to prepare properly.
A separate mechanism, the special hardship order, exists for some drivers suspended under the demerit point or good behaviour rules. It is a different application with different rules, but the same character: evidence-driven and time-sensitive.
05 / HIGH RANGE
High-range readings, repeat offences and interlocks
For high-range readings, repeat offences within five years, and failing to provide a specimen, the consequences increase: longer minimum disqualifications, vehicle impoundment in some cases, alcohol ignition interlock requirements on relicensing, and, for the most serious combinations, sentences that can include imprisonment.
The interlock is the part people tend to discover late. It is a breath-testing device fitted to the vehicle, and where a requirement applies, it applies on relicensing, after the disqualification has been served. For anyone who drives an employer's vehicle, or more than one vehicle, the practical questions multiply, and they are better worked through before sentence.
The short version: the reading sets the range, preparation affects where in the range you land, and the work licence, if you are eligible, must be sought before sentence.
Sources: Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (Qld) (current as at 21 September 2026), ss 79, 79B, 79E, 86 and 87; Queensland Government, Charged with drink driving. The law and penalties change from time to time, so please get advice about your own matter before relying on this general information.
07 / SPEAK WITH US
Speak with Aegis Law Group
Facing a drink driving charge at Beenleigh? Call Aegis Law Group on (07) 3709 7610 or request a call below.
This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Penalty ranges, work licence eligibility and interlock requirements are technical and change from time to time; get advice on your specific situation.
(07) 3709 7610 BRISBANE OFFICE33 Queen Street, Brisbane
