Many people believe truck drivers do not get stopped for a red light ticket in a CMV. Normally, the opposite is true because more truck drivers can receive red light tickets than regular drivers due to to the stopping distance of a big rig and trailer.

Camera-Enforced Red Light Tickets in Your CMV

This is especially true at camera-enforced traffic intersections. Even with the video, it may not be obvious the trucker waited for traffic to clear before making a left turn with an arrow. Sometimes that requires going through the intersection as the light turns from yellow to red. The camera photographs and records the truck as it rolls through the red light.

CA Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 21453, Offenses Relating to Traffic Devices and others in the range from Sections 21350 to 21468, describe the drivers’ actions at various traffic lights. The code states in paragraph (b), “A driver making that turn shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to any vehicle…”

Although the code does not state it, often, the safest time for a tractor-trailer truck to make a left turn is after traffic has cleared, and the light is changing from yellow to red. Technically, that is not legal; however, most experienced law enforcement officers (LEO) and traffic court judges know it is the case.

California traffic law requires an experienced LEO to view the still images and video before sending it to the alleged violator. However, not everything is visible in that small time capsule. For a regular driver, it could be costly to get a red light ticket, but in a CMV, the driver cannot attend traffic violator’s school, and their very livelihood is in jeopardy if convicted!

What Is Considered a Red Light Ticket Violation in Your CMV

Several violations could result in a red light ticket; these could be:

• Failure to yield to traffic left or right
• Failure to stop for a broken traffic light
• Driving through a red arrow
• Driving through a flashing red light
• Camera-enforced red light tickets

If convicted, a red light ticket in your CMV could cost anywhere from $235 to $500. The DMV will assess and add 1.5 NOTS points to your motor vehicle driving record (MVR) in CA. Plus, Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) severity points will be assessed and added to your Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) record. When a driver gets a dismissal, the record must be removed from the PSP, and a reduced charge must have the severity points reduced to one and all out-of-service weights removed.

How to Get a Free Red Light Ticket Review from Traffic Attorneys in Kern County

Regardless of how you receive a red light ticket in your CMV, call Bigger & Harman, (661) 349-9300. Se habla Español (661) 349-9755.

We are traffic attorneys with more than a decade of traffic law practice in the Central Valley area. Likewise, we have developed proven and effective defenses from our experience fighting both camera-enforced and LEO issued red light tickets for CDL holders.

Email: attorney@biggerharmanlaw.com.

References:

The 2019 CA Commercial Driver Handbook.pdf