How CDL Traffic Violations Affect Truckers
Posted on Thu, Jul 15, 2010 @ 03:51 PM
How can a city generate income when low on funds...target commercial truck drivers of course! Everyone knows that traffic tickets, whether written for commercial drivers or regular drivers generate income for the county the ticket is written in. Commercial drivers, in particular, are the easiest to write multiple tickets on for various reasons. Here are just some of the reasons that truck drivers can get pulled over and fined:
Serious Trucker Traffic Violations:
- Speeding 15 miles or more over speed limit
- Reckless driving
- Improper or erratic lane changes
- Following the vehicle ahead too closely
- Offenses tied to a fatal accident
- Driving a CMV without a CDL or wrong type of endorsement
- Driving a CMV without a CDL in your possession (producing it at a later date will nullify the offense)
- Violating a Driver or Vehicle out-of-service order
NON-CMV violations can also affect your Commercial Driving Status:
- 2 convictions within 3 years is a 60-day suspension
- A 3rd conviction is a 120-day suspension
- Non-CMV convictions will count towards suspension of your CDL if it results in suspension of your Non-CMV License
Penalties for Violating Out-of-service orders:
- 1st conviction starts with a minimum 90-day suspension
- A 2nd conviction within 10 years brings a minimum 1-year suspension
- 3rd and subsequent convictions increase suspension to a minimum of 3 years
All violations of railroad/highway grade crossing laws carry mandatory suspensions:
- 1st conviction minimum 60-day suspension
- 2nd conviction minimum 120-day suspension
- 3rd and subsequent convictions minimum 1-year suspension
If a CDL holder is convicted of a "law related to motor vehicle traffic control" other than parking violations, including violations that occur outside of work when driving a personal vehicle, you must notify your employer! Additionally, you must report a loss of driving privileges or suspension of CDL to your employer by the end of the next business day. It is important that you drive safely and professionally as your CDL is literally your meal ticket. You should fight every erroneous violation and keep your record (MVR & CSA 2010) free of negative Safety Rating statistics which follow a driver from company to company.
Posted by Kevin Mullen, Director: Safety