Advice wanted...CDL protection insurance

To me 7 bucks a week is kind of expensive without any details. I expect for this money they hook you up with some kind of legal network of mostly traffic court lawyers to handle any citations that might arise for you.
Does this cover you also in your private vehicle? Exactly what do they cover for you in protecting your CDL? Do they give assistance in a civil matter that might arise out of your employment? Are there monetary thresholds (such as they will only do one court appearance for free, any more cost you X amount)?
I have my doubts that the trucking company is taking care of this in-house. Most likely an outside vendor. This might be a decent deal for a 48 driver. Not sure. The devil is always in the details.

 

I use the open road program provided through my company. Got a bs speeding ticket reduced to a class c misdemeanor, basically the same class as a parking ticket. No points, nothing on my mvr, ticket cost a lil more but my cdl is clean.

Insurance is always considered a waste of money...until you don't have it and need it.

 

In your very first posting, you never said it was a mega-carrier such as Schneider.

But your trainer "advises you" to get it?? Again, I see here that he is telling you that you will be doing things that are not as legal as one would think. A good driver, will avoid tickets by driving carefully, keeping his log book up to date, etc,etc.

You say you got a "BS Ticket". This is what many driver's resort to saying. No driver actually "deserves" a speeding ticket, or over-loaded ticket, or running a stop sign, red light, etc,etc.

I have yet to meet in person (cuz the web is loaded with BS) a driver actually admit he got a ticket for something he did and was actually guilty of.

It's always a "BS ticket", or a ticket "I did nothing wrong".

 

Bottom line.............

the companies are looking out for themselves.



And perhaps they make a buck or two off the program.

 

Its amazing to see the replies in this thread...

Having been an owner op and a member of OOIDA (which offers a similar service) I can tell you that I have had to use that service on more than a couple of occasions.

One such occasion they were able to get the ticket completely thrown out as it was, in the view of the judge, a bogus charge. I was southbound out of dfw headed to houston in fairly heavy traffic..another trucker was topped on the shoulder ahead of me..4 ways going..I had a car beside me so I slowed down some..approaching cautiously looking for the driver of the truck..unfortunately..the car beside me also slowed down..so I still couldn't move to the left lane..

So I go past the truck to discover a DPS officer parked IN FRONT of the truck...

The DPS officer pulled me over a mile down the road and ticketed e for failure to failing to yield the right lane to an emergency vehicle..that I couldn't see..these lawyers got the ticket thrown out and insured nothing went on my record.

They've fought a cuuple of log book tickets getting the fines reduced to once just court costs from 300 bucks and one to 50 plus court costs for a lot 450.

Do not sell these svcs short..Major companies keep attorneys on retainer for similar things and at 7 bucks a month or even 7 a week if you ever need them they can mor ethan pay for themselves..with that said however..

If the company you are driving for is on e logs and run governed trucks......up to you..I can say that if something should ever happen..you can still usually utilize the svc..just enroll and send em the info.

Petey

 

You nailed it on the head..HOWEVER....

Know that Fix It Tickets are the responsibility of your company..not yours..as long as you have already reported the issue to the company or the failure (whatever it was) happens while you were in transit...(IE mudflap falling off of trailer) and you should not have to pay for those unless you are an O/O and own the equipment.

As far as being new..Slow, down, be cautious, do what you gotta do to be safe..if you have questions on logging etc, talk to dm, safety or another driver to show you the right way.

The gear grinding..takes time as well as having to look at the tach..you'll get to know your truck..and what it sounds like when its at the right rpm..just like you got to know your car and what it sounded like when its running right or something is wrong..

Driving with schneider, you shouldn't have any legal issues..I would say save your 7 bucks for now. Their trucks can't go fast enough to get a speeding ticket, they are on e logs which won't allow HOS violations usually, and always weigh out at a CAT scale since CAT scales will fight overweight tickets as long as you weighed legal on their scales for you. Fix it tickets are Schneider's responsibility since its their equipment. Same for tires etc.

petey

 

I too belong to OOIDA, and I "did the math", we as members pay what a mere $45 per year???

The o/p @ $7 PER WEEK, WILL BE PAYING, a mere $364 PER YEAR..!!

So, if it were me, I'd highly recommend all drivers to become member of the OOIDA.

You will do fine. Will you have an "accident or incident" in your first year (or two)??? I think yes, as the odds/statistics bear that out for ANY newbie driver, of ANY motor vehicle. For us "professional drivers" however, our odds are what, 10 fold over the "ordinary car driver??? Given the amount of miles we drive each month. let alone each year. What Schnieder does to you in these instances are yet to be seen however.

That's right, "fix it tickets" are the companies responsibility, however, let's all remember the CSA points WE WILL GET as well.

Driving slow, but as NOT to aggravate drivers behind him, but at the very least THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT, NOT SLOWER than a snail crossing the highway!!!

Grinding gears?? Hell, I still make a "new gear" every once in a while.

in fact, that's exactly how 13 and 15 and 18 speed transmissions were "invented"..

Enough drivers ground down the gears so much the transmissions themselves "developed" extra gears out of sheer self preservation!!!