Cops don't give CDL holders breaks!

I don't control whether or not the cops stop me...

 

I've had it go both ways, from getting a favorable decision as to how the officer decides to conduct roadside enforcement, to getting the classic "You're a professional driver so I'm going to hold you to a higher standard" etc.

All depends on the day, the reason for getting pulled over, the personalities and or moods of the officer and the motorist involved as well as how they integrate with eachother, etc.

 

Obey the posted signs and you might be surprised how often they don't pull you over.

 

Yea well I was a police officer for 27 years..now I drive a truck. My uncle drove a truck for years and retired as a terminal manager. I gave almost all of the truckers I stopped a break. Knowing what I know now after driving a truck OTR for over five years..I seriously regret not giving most truckers a citation for traffic violations. These #### super truckers flying past me tailgating, running red lights, driving like idiots etc. is totally unacceptable.
To be honest I am very disappointed in a lot of these truckers and their driving. Yes there are just as many truckers out here that drive safely . As a percentage I would say that about close to 40 percent suck..crappy attitudes and reckless.drivers..just my two cents.

 

That guy you were talking to probably talked himself into a ticket.

Remember when I said not all truckers are wonderful people? You will hear them on the CB when you hit the road.

I suspect its a minority, but they are still everywhere, and they are nasty. Well they are nasty to cops too.

Those guys will make themselves out to be a victim every time, but they wont tell you they were being a jack wagon the entire time they were pulled over.

Those same guys, they have problems with everyone, not just cops. Dispatchers, security guards, other truckers, you name it. They are always in trouble and they will never take responsibility. Everything always has to be hard with those people. If the janitor asks him to move the truck 10 ft so they can access the dumpster, they wont do it. They will raise holy hell.

When I hear stories about this poor old guy just driving along and is all the sudden victimized by mean bully cops, I think about the guy I described above.

 

It depends on the cop & situation. As a CDL holder you can no longer avoid a traffic conviction by going to a driver safety class and paying those costs.

 

Of course, there are no cut and dry facts here. But, I would say give this some thought. Years ago the landscape for truckers was much different then it is today. Back in the days before IFTA and IRP. States like Mississippi would stop a trucker and write them a ticket for fuel tax evasion if they could not show they had proper permits OR a fuel receipt. I would be willing to wager at least 90% of the scales nationwide were open 24/7. I used to have photos of the fronts of cabovers with 7 or 8 tags and all kinds of fuel stickers. This was cleaned up a bit with IFTA and IRP. Even as late as the 90s states like Arizona required a "cab card" to avoid paying for registration at a port of entry. When I was doing repos I had a permit book I carried with me that had all these items in it. Enough of the good old day's talk, let's get back to 2020. Generally speaking, if a trucker gets harassed it's going to be a diesel cop doing it. Regular LEOs won't mess with a trucker unless said trucker is somewhere they should not be, impaired or otherwise operating in an unsafe way! I was speaking to a retired driver I know about this early this morning. This diesel cop thing exploded when the states started making most of them mobile. Today most scales just have a weighmaster running you over the scales OR letting you use pre-pass and going by. The last several times I was inspected it was by a diesel cop away from a scale. It is what it is. A diesel cop once they stop you??????, well they don't call those lights money lights for nothing!!!!

 

I'm getting a headache.

 

The cop won't. But typically courts do. A judge will be more willing to change it to a non moving violation for cdl holders. But then again, matters on the judge

 

They're not supposed to do this. It's prohibited by 384.226. Does it happen? I would not bet against it.