Careless Driving Ticket

Careless driving to the state is just under reckless driving in my state it carries a 3 point fine but no license suspension... Its not the end of the world but make sure you are honest about it on your application Its even worse if you lie about it.. most of the time if thats all thats on your 3 year you might have it over looked.

And there is a difference from reckless and careless

Careless is something like doing a burnout=display of power= careless driving
Also improper lane changes improper passing speeds in excess of 20 MPH things like that


Reckless is something like drag racing DUI excessive speeding things like that.. these usually carry a 6 month suspension and 6 points

 

IMHO, the terminology used depends a lot on your state. Wreckless driving is a generic term used in the trucking industry. It is also used specifically by many states.

In my state, the term used is C & I (Careless and Imprudent) and that is what goes on your record. There are only about a half a dozen terms used to record offenses on your MVR. In Missouri, any of the offenses you mentioned as well as an improper passing violation and many others are recorded as C & I on your MVR. It is 2 points for city and 3 points for state violation here.

 

It's so true... Maybe I could go to court and think of my situtation in the third person... if I can do that, I might be able to detach myself from my emotions. Do you think thats possible?

 

That might help. I think writing down what you will say and reading it out loud will allow you to make anything negative into a positive that says the same thing. Often when I hear my words repeated to me I think maybe I don't want to say that. Then when it is perfected, read and practice it. You probably won't even need it when it comes time to talk in court. You may not recite it word for word, but you will make all your points that way. Unless they are on a zero tolerance kick or the judge is a butt, I think you have a good chance.

 

Don't forget, offer to pay costs and take an equipment violation. That way you aren't asking for something for nothing. To me getting rid of that violation would be worth quite a bit.

 

Back to the OP...

Most likely it will be 3 to 5 years from the date of the conviction for your careless driving ticket before a trucking company will touch you. You might want to try small local companys... rock haulers and the like. You might find something there.

 

I've already paid the lawyer $350.00. It will cost me an additional 4 to 5 hundred to get there from IL. Any idea as to how much more it could cost? As far as a five year wait before any decent comapny will hire me... If it boils down to that... I have 15 years of executive head hunting experience in an I.T. environment... the economy is starting to show some improvement... If push comes to shove, I'll be more concerned about protecting my car license... If I get a job with a trucking company that is willing to hire me with a reckless or careless driving charge on my record, and then something else happens... I could have my license suspended and or revoked. If that happens, I wouldn't even be be able to drive my car.

 

I don't have any idea. You could call the county and get some ideas on certain equipment violations but that might not help. I had Missouri charge me $400 plus court costs to reduce a speeding ticket to an equipment violation.

You have to decide what it's worth and your budget. I won't fight them unless I'm all in. My experiences have been from $100 - $500 and my attorney usually charges $125. Most of my experiences have been in four-wheelers or service trucks. Still they were on my CDL and MVR, so I fight them all. I went 10 years with no violations and then turned stupid and went through a 2 - 3 year period with several.

I have not failed to get one reduced that I fought. I hope your original attorney was just lazy and it's not a sign of what is to come. If I were you, I would probaly call the prosecutor and try to bargain before court. At the least, you could learn quite a bit about the climate and his/her expectations.

 

This is why people need to do their homework before jumping into a career and wasting money on schooling. Every major OTR carrier places their minimum hiring requirements on their website. If you don't meet them, don't bother getting a CDL.

 

You are aware that even if they get rid of you, it takes two years to drop off their record, right?