When commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers need help with a CDL ticket in and around the ports of Los Angeles, CA and Long Beach, CA, they should consult a CA traffic attorney.
What Can a CA Traffic Attorney Do for a CMV Driver in LA?
The traffic defense attorneys at Bigger & Harman can help a commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder resolve traffic tickets for speeding, overweight trucks, logbook violations, unsafe lane changes, lane violations, following too closely, and many more.
They can also assist truckers and bus drivers to get additional leeway when facing a negligent operator treatment system (NOTS) suspension based on the exemption authorized by CA Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 12810.5, Issuance and Renewal of Licenses.
Many commercial drivers are unaware of this little-known provision that permits the DMV to consider the “prima facie negligent operator” the additional leeway based on their miles driven in a CMV. The DMV could permit “six or more points in 12 months, eight or more points in 24 months, or 10 or more points in 36 months,” when the driver’s points accumulated primarily in their CMV exceed the usual “four or more points in 12 months, six or more points in 24 months, or eight or more points in 36 months.”
Before you dismiss the need for a traffic attorney to resolve traffic tickets and DMV suspensions, consider that many fleet managers are under pressure to keep fleet insurance at a minimum and will terminate anyone convicted of a moving violation.
Even though there is a supposed “driver shortage,” fleet managers would instead give the chance to a fresh driving school graduate than an experienced driver with moving violations, particularly DOT FMCSA “serious offenses,” which include following too close, unsafe lane changes, speeding, and illegal cell phone use.
Think about it. Those are four of the top five CDL tickets.
The No Point CDL Ticket Explained
Often an experienced and knowledgeable traffic attorney will request a no-point conviction for a CDL ticket. That means the driver will have to pay the fine (frequently a higher fine than usual) so that the traffic court judge can justify not going to trial. Often the Merced County courthouses are overcrowded, and a traffic court judge might hear 100’s of cases in a week.
Many traffic court judges sympathize with the trucker who is just trying to earn a living hauling goods from two of the largest ports in the world to manufacturers and department stores across America. However, their job is to collect fines to fill the county and state treasuries.
Therefore, rather than saddle a trucker with a moving violation that could cripple their ability to catch on with a large, high-paying trucking firm, they agree to a plea deal much like a parking ticket. Then, everybody’s happy.
Of course, if the law enforcement officer (LEO) didn’t gather enough evidence to convict or doesn’t show up for trial, the traffic attorney will ask for immediate dismissal.
Contact Bigger & Harman, APC, About Your CDL Tickets in Merced County
Call Bigger & Harman at (661) 349-9300 to set up a free, no-obligation consultation about your CDL tickets in LA County.
We regularly appear in Glendale, Chatsworth, Downey, Inglewood, Metropolitan Courthouse, and others to resolve CDL tickets for our clients.
Use the online contact form or send us an email attorney@biggerharmanlaw.com.
Se habla Español (661) 349-9755.
“Excellent CDL Traffic Attorney Firm” — Ken Z. Los Angeles, CA.
References:
The DMV Portal CA Commercial Driver Handbook Copyright 2022.
CVC Section 12810.5, Issuance and Renewal of Licenses.