A hardship license in Illinois is called a Restrictive Driving Permit, (RDP). A hardship license / RDP allows a person to drive to and from work. It is limited in the number of miles, times and days a person can drive. Each hardship license is specific to the individual’s specific work requirements. It will not allow an individual to drop children off at daycare, go shopping, etc. A hardship license is only to drive to and from work or to drive for your job, if your job requires you to drive a vehicle.
I represented a person two days ago where the person’s job was to escort wide loads. The permit sought permission for my client to drive a range of 3,000. miles from Chicago and to drive at any time during the period of daylight, (the only time for a wide load is allowed on the road).