I got 3 points from a citation, how screwed am I?

Nope. It’s not being a professional and being courteous to others. I’ve been driving around SoCal metropolitan cities most of my trucking years(since 1979) and never stay out in the middle lane.

 

Ever thought about moving up to Jax and getting on the gypsum run out of Crystal River? That’s pretty good money, home everyday, and you don’t have to leave Cypress.

 

In my state I dunno about the others , if the officer didn’t witness it , the officer can’t testify in court , the other driver has to testify , and most times , the other driver won’t appear in court and your ticket will get dismissed .
I’ve had an improper lane change ticket dismissed when I appeared in court and the other driver didn’t .

luckily it was near my hometown , but if it’s out of town , that’s what lawyers are for .


If it’s a speeding ticket , the officer clocked you and witnessed it .

 

EVERY new trucker stays in the middle lane. They shouldn't, but they do. They have no CB to hear the fuming drivers that want them to burn to death for blocking the "truck passing lane" but it allows the new drivers to concentrate on their smartphone so they don't miss any TikTok videos. The new drivers parking at the fuel island also have reasons. Having reasons that make your life easier and everyone else's life more difficult aren't good reasons. Rant Over.

 

I just read this…… you’re at fault 100%. You cause another truck to have an accident. Why didn’t you just slow down BEFORE the merge of traffic, do your brakes work ? There was no need for the aggressive lane change. You’re not driving your personal car. Semi’s are an all different animal. Trucks need to be treated with the highest respect. To be honest, most of the newbies have absolutely no common courtesy, they still think there driving a car. Learn from your BIG mistake, suck it up and move on.

 

Take this for what it’s worth, when you been out here long as I’ve been, you learned how to read the cars, trucks and everything that moves on the road when they’re about to make a stupid move. If your paying attention, you can predict there move. Be prepared and alert. This will cause you less grief through out the years.

 

OP seems open to info & suggestions. It takes time for a new driver to anticipate things that are just common sense for veteran drivers. He may be new, he doesn't at all seem to be hard-headed & stubborn. I hope he doesn’t confuse the real anger we have for those bad new drivers for him.

When I approach the off-ramp before the next on-ramp I have started examining the vehicles behind me in my lane, and in the lanes left & Right of that lane. Now my scan speeds up & I quickly look forward, to both sides, and behind so I have a full picture of what's all around. I also look up the off-ramp to see if cars are turning onto the on-ramp. If a car comes down that on-ramp where will I go? Check my previous picture for changes & confirm my "escape" is still available. Do this over & over until I'm past the on-ramp. I keep my mind, eyes actively engaged. The amateur drivers just hang out and wait for an "emergency" to happen and then take a random action.

For each situation there is a process similar to what I described that will apply. Once a new driver has learned the procedure for all of the most common situation, their brain becomes less fully occupied with right now. Then they can anticipate & plan for the really unexpected events in the midst of the current situations, like a ladder in the road.