Please excuse my ignorance as I am new to Trucking. Here in town if I get a Ticket I can set a court date and fight it but while driving a truck along way from home if I get a ticket I have heard that fines double for a trucker and they want you to pay it right then. Is this true and how can you fight it. P.S?. I am a good driver and am not planing on any tickets but just want to be prepared. any response please. Thanks![]()
Traffic Tickets
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Intheoutfeild, Apr 6, 2008.
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Every situation is different. I would say that ,75% of the time, if you get a speeding ticket, you will get the ticket with a court date or instructions to call the court district for instructions. lf you are willing to enter a guilty plea and pay the fine and court costs, you probably will be told how much to send to the certain court. Now!!! If you do not pay and completely ignore the ticket, then a warrant will be issued against you and if you are ever stopped in that state again, your butt is theirs!!


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The best is right. Though keep in mind, if you do get too many tickets on your MVR/DAC, you probably wont be able to find a job. Some companies will terminate your employment as well with tickets. Of course that is all just common sense.
Being honest, I've been pulled over 11 times since I was 16. The majority of them was in a 4 wheeler. Some were founded, others were not. In every case, I pled not guilty. I didnt just pay the fines and, by default, admit I was guilty and get wind up with points on my driving record. Also, in every case, the charges/fines were dropped. That probably wont be everyone else's case.
My uncle is a state trooper here in PA. He quit driving to become one. He was a great source of knowledge in that the majority of magisterial districts don't want to take the time or money to getting you to court and possibly losing and having Joe Q public to foot the bill. Of course, that will not always be the case.
Don't get suckered in by the companies out there to fight tickets for you either. All they do when they take it to court would be to question the calibration of the radar/laser, question the arresting officers' qualifications in using said equipment, question the officers' record in regards to continuing training, and (if they busted you by following and checking their speedometer) if the tires were properly inflated, when the speedometer was last calibrated, yadda yadda. These are all things you can question yourself. You're only going to have to be available to go to court if they do actually give you a court date and not drop the charges.
Hope this helps a little. Granted, this wont be the case every time with everybody. Every state and every district within the states runs a bit differently. -
1.When being stopped for a violation,be polite to the officer.
2.If you do receive a summons,be polite.
3.If the officer asks you why he or she pulled you over,the proper response is "I don't know".Anything other than this,is an admission of guilt.
4.If ,at the time of your traffic stop,you remained calm and polite,you may just get a warning.Not a ticket or maybe a ticket that doesn't go on your record even though you may have been pulled over for a moving violation.
5.If it's not a recordable offense,pay the ticket.If it is a violation that will affect your record,check the box"not guilty".
6.Most tickets that are simple moving violations can be plead down to non moving violations thus saving your record, but you will have to show up in court prior to court time and talk to the officer or prosecuter.
7.The big question?How do I show up for court when it's in a state a 1,000 miles away.Well,you do have the option of postponing your court date to a later time so you can make arrangements to get there.
8.Try to get a load that runs to or thru the courts town on your court date.
9.Not close enough?Park the truck at a safe loacation,tell dispatch your ill,rent a car and get up to court.Remember,"Driving under the influence of illness" is a ticketable offense.A dispatcher can't force you to drive until you are well.
10.Plan a day or two off and take a cheap flight out there.It may cost you a little bit of cash but if it keeps your record clean I would say it's worth it.
What I posted is just my advice.I have been driving 27 years and I have learned alot,hell,I am still learning.Drive safe,pay attention and you might not ever get a ticket.Good Luck.
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