oh hell....need info, please

It really varies from state to state as to how they look at it. I'm not sure how it breaks down by state, but some may let you go with your info. Some give you a court date to show proof of a valid license at the time of the infraction. And some will actually arrest you.

Now seeing as you are driving a commercial vehicle I would think it to be mandatory to have it on you at all times and that any citations or penalties would be on the harsher side. Seeing as the company or person you drive for is supposed to have a copy of your current, valid license on file, I would deem it imperative to have them fax you a copy of that and get you home ASAP to get a new license.

 

§383.51(c) Disqualification for serious traffic violations

Table 2 item (7)

"Driving a CMV without a CDL in the driver's possession"

However, there is a footnote:

"Any individual who provides proof to the enforcement authority that issued the citation, by the date the individual must appear in court or pay any fine for such a violation, that the individual held a valid CDL on the date the citation was issued, shall not be guilty of this offense."

In other words, get routed through your home state to pick up a duplicate/replacement license ASAP...and if stopped before you are able to do so, provide the officer your license number and any other information he requires and explain the situation. You may still be issued a citation, based on the fact that your CDL is not in your possession. However, once you get the replacement license...possibly even a copy of your license history from the state showing any/all license activity (i.e. issue date, renewal dates, endorsement adds and drops, etc.) to prove you had a valid license on the day you were cited....then send a copy of that to the issuing state/agency and the ticket SHOULD be dropped.

...or at least that's my understanding of the regs.

 

I hope you're not in Georgia, I was always told by my old safety director that if we were caught in GA without our license that we would be taken away in the car. Don't know the truth behind this but then again I've never tested fate, we were a larger company that operated a lot in that state and they put a lot of emphasis on this, so it must have happened somewhere along the line. Personally, I would not move until the situation is handled, or maybe the wife could meet you halfway? Just some thoughts.

 

That's why I said it varied state by state. I was in my car once and couldn't find mine. Cop checked my SSN# (in Ohio it used to be on the license too) and said to go find it or get a new one.
The preverbal "friend of a friend" got caught at the old Oak Grove scale house in Mo. and was arrested, had to have the issuing state provide proof of a valid license and pay a huge fine before they let him go. That was years ago though.

Bottom line, get one ASAP.

 

Put it in the wind, drive the speed limit and stop worrying.

 

It's Sunday, all the Ga coop are closed.