Don’t Miss the Sign - 35 MPH Grapevine
For students, a 4.0 average grade is great, for truckers, not so much. The North-bound descent on I-5 in the “Grapevine” is a five-mile, six percent grade, with an average 4.0 percent grade over the five miles. This section of I-5 is posted for 65 mph for regular traffic and 35 mph for truckers and other vehicles that fall under CVC 22406 and 22407 VC, this is mainly three-axle trucks and vehicles towing a trailer or another vehicle. What many drivers don’t consider is that same CVC 22406 pertains to vehicles towing recreational vehicles, as well. In case you’re not good at math, that’s a 30-mph differential speed.
The problem with the 35 mph Grapevine signs are those are easy to miss with all the trucks in the first lane. Truckers, if you miss the 35 mph Grapevine sign and continue going 55 mph, not only will you get a speeding ticket for 20 mph over, but you will get a Federal "serious traffic violation" as well for speeding more than 15 mph over the speed limit, which will come up on the EPN Program. Just two of those and you are subject to a 60-day vacation without pay when they suspend your commercial driver’s license (CDL). Most Cali truckers know this, but drivers from out of state and passenger cars hauling a recreational vehicle may not know it until it is too late.
California Highways, Up Hill & Down
Calli has seen her share of accidents on those rolling hills from Grapevine to Tejon Pass, Cajon Pass on I-15, Oak Creek Pass on SR-58, Deadman Summit on US-395 in Mono County, and many more. Truckers know and respect these treacherous descents and ascents. That’s right, the ascent can be as dangerous as the descent if you don’t gauge your speed and braking distance properly, in which case a speeding ticket might be the least of your worries. It’s like the old trucker saying goes, “Y'all can go down a mountain too slow, many times, but, y'all can go down a mountain too fast, just once!”
Truckers are familiar with the 35 mph Grapevine speed limit on the descent and the 45-mph speed limit on the ascent, and most make every effort to avoid tickets that can cost them their job and the ability to feed their families.
Bigger & Harman, Traffic Ticket Defenders
Tickets incurred while driving I-5 and the 35 mph Grapevine speed limit should be handled by a local traffic ticket lawyer. When these citations are handled in Lamont, Kern County Court or in Santa Clarita Courthouse, Bigger & Harman are familiar with these courts, clerks, judges, and prosecutors there. Many law enforcement (LE) officers use radar or a pacing method to gauge speed. Neither is 100 percent accurate; regardless, when you get a speeding ticket you should contest the ticket because too much is at stake as a Class A driver for you to give up on 1.5 points without a fight.
Call Bigger & Harman in South-Central California counties, including Mono, Tulare, Kings, Kern, and others to get the help you need with that speeding ticket. Do not just lay down and accept that speeding ticket that could cause a rise in your insurance premium for three years, minimum, plus the fines and points. Call Bigger & Harman today, 661-349-9300. Or, send us an email: attorney@markbigger.com.
En español, llame al 661-349-9755.