For most jobs, what happens when you’re off duty has very little impact of your professional life. Something pretty major would have to happen for your employer to let you go from a desk job, but if you’re a truck driver, even a speeding ticket in your own personal non-commercial vehicle can have a huge effect on your employment prospects.
Contrary to common belief, it’s not necessarily the trucking companies that want you to have a clean driving record – it’s often the insurance companies. A carrier may ask for 3 or fewer traffic infringements in the past 3 years because that’s the cutoff for what their insurance company will accept without additional premiums.
California has just proposed a new law that would allow commercial drivers to remove points from their license that were earned through violations in non-commercial vehicles by attending traffic school. Insurance companies will still be notified of infractions, but if the driver is in good standing, they will be able to remove the point penalties. This is especially useful for owner-operators or small fleet owners for whom a single ticket can increase insurance costs by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year.
The change will prevent drivers in California from losing their livelihoods over small infractions in their personal vehicles while still maintaining strict restrictions on anyone who has a more serious charge like reckless driving. Points earned through violations while driving a commercial vehicle are not eligible for removal.
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Source: landline
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