An uncontested speeding ticket in your commercial motor vehicle (CMV) can lead to all sorts of problems for the commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder.  

Isn’t It More Expensive to Hire an Attorney?

Truthfully, yes, it could be. However, when a traffic attorney raises the level of reasonable doubt, the judge must dismiss the ticket. There is also the possibility that the traffic attorney could negotiate a non-moving violation, which is the equivalent of an expensive parking ticket.

Some truckers say, “Geez, I still had to pay $800, I should have just paid the fine.” That’s a narrow-minded way of looking at it. The fine is only about one-quarter of the total cost of a speeding ticket. It could be much more if fleet management decides that it would be better to go with a trucker fresh out of school than one with even one conviction.

Plus, the amount of your insurance premium is going to rise significantly. It will be a lot more for owner-operators than for a fleet driver because the fleet will absorb the truck insurance, so you’ll only feel it on your personal vehicle. 

For a Trucker 15 MPH Over the Statewide 55 MPH Limit in Their CMV Is a Misdemeanor

CA Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 22406.1, Speed Laws, makes driving 15 mph over the CA speed limit for most commercial vehicles a misdemeanor crime. It doesn’t make sense. The drivers delivering the country’s food and other products to stores are the only ones capable of getting misdemeanor speeding tickets.

It states, “A person who operates a commercial motor vehicle… upon a highway at a speed exceeding a posted speed limit established under this code by 15 miles per hour or more, is guilty of a misdemeanor.”

Even the guy or gal going 100+ mph can only get a major infraction for speeding. Granted, the fine and subsequent insurance premium hike are ridiculously expensive, but they won’t have a criminal record if convicted.

Beyond that, a DOT FMCSA serious offense will get you a 60-day disqualification for a second conviction or a 120-day commercial driving suspension for a third time within three years of the first. That’s pretty severe for a trucker too. How do you feed the family if you can’t drive? That’s why it is imperative to consult a traffic attorney whenever you get a speeding ticket in your CMV.

Consult Bigger & Harman, APC, about Speeding in Your CMV in Yolo County, CA    

Call Bigger & Harman, (661) 349-9300 when you get issued a speeding ticket in your CMV in Yolo County, CA.  

We handle only traffic ticket cases using a flat fee. That means, regardless of how many times we must appear in court to resolve your speeding ticket, the price will remain the same. 

Se habla Español 661.349.9755.

Send us an email, today attorney@biggerharmanlaw.com. 

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References:

The 2019-2021 CA Commercial Driver Handbook.pdf

CVC Section 22406.1, Speed Laws

The FMCSA CFR 49 Part 383.51, Driver Disqualifications