Speeding Tickets

randal02lee · Jan 31, 2016

MooneyBravo said: ↑

I'm 57 and started driving semi trucks sometime in 1980. I see a lot of trucks pulled over these days and I know it is because they were speeding. The term I like to use is "driving like a maniac." I remember being in their shoes when I was younger and had so much to prove to the world. I was out of control from the day I was born and it took me many years to slow down and reinvent myself. I had my license suspended before I was 17 due to having earned at least 6 speeding tickets, some of which cost me some jail time. When I started driving semi's, I was awarded several speeding tickets along with one head on collision in 1981 and a reckless operation. That was in less than 1 year of commercial driving. If that isn't enough, your learners permit that you get when you are 16; It got suspended. I was charged with driving a vehicle without a licensed driver. You could say that I had a lot of trouble getting out of the chute. My last ticket was in 1996 going into Blythe, CA.

I have worked very hard to get where I am now and in October of this year 2016 I will have 20 years without any charges on my CDL. I'm reminded of what it was like when the CDL was instituted back in the late 80's. I knew a few drivers who's driving records had caught up with them. Before the CDL came out, if you had accumulated too many tickets you could simply go to another state and apply for a drivers license and you were back in business. These drivers were now faced with paying back every ticket they had been awarded in all states that they had held a license. For some it ended their careers.

In hindsight, especially after that accident, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had simply learned how to slow down. After all, I wasn't making any better money by putting my license on the line. The money I made from speeding and dodging scale houses was the change I had in my pocket. After that accident, nobody worth driving for would even look at me for over 3 years. I'm not OTR anymore but if I was I wouldn't accept a load from a shipper that I knew I would have to break my personal boundaries i.e. sleep, hours of service, speeding etc. to deliver on time or beat traffic or weather.

Everyone today is in a hurry driving like I used to drive; driving like a maniac, going absolutely nowhere, following too close, driving too fast for conditions and not paying attention to the big picture. I just kick back and set my cruise to no faster than 3 miles over the speed limit. Can I get away with more? Probably depending on where I am but I have come to the conclusion that speed limits are posted for a reason and I have even more recently subscribed to driving no faster than the posted speed limit which in todays world usually means that I'm the slowest person on the road. And when the road starts getting congested, I remind myself that I don't have anything to gain by passing other vehicles and I don't have to drive the speed limit. It's only a limit and I can drive slower if need be.

For me, it's not what I can get away with but rather what is the law? It's a matter of principle. If we look around us we have little by little become a nation of impatient law breakers who have no respect for the other driver. This is exactly how I was when I was younger. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Think about it.
I'm probably going to sound a little harsh here but it's an uncontestable fact.

When you speed, you break the law.
When you break the law, you are committing a crime.
Speeding is a criminal offense.

If you are a speeder who has charges on your record I would like to encourage you to reflect on what you have gained by speeding other than violations. Today is as good as any to reinvent yourself and simply say "No More."

I haven't seen any blue lights behind me in many years and what's nice for me is that when I apply for a job today, within 48 hours they are calling me and asking me "When can you start?"
Click to expand...

Sometimes it's the revenue making speed limit reductions. For example your driving on a hwy where the speed limit is 55 and all of a sudden it is 45 and its a straight road far from any towns.

Chewy352 · Jan 31, 2016

I do about 57 in ca. I can't afford financially or on my record to get any tickets. The whole time I'm driving out of ca I pay attention to the megas that pass me. Typically before getting out of az I have passed them. They way things are today it's just not worth the ticket.

Diesel Dave · Jan 31, 2016

I hope all you that stick at the legal speed limit, also stay in the farthest lane to the right.

Chewy352 · Jan 31, 2016

Most of the time. If I'm going the speed limit though a city I'll be one lane over. I don't care if I'm holding up a speeder as long as I'm maintaining the speed limit.

AModelCat · Jan 31, 2016

uncleal13 said: ↑

For the first eight years of driving a car, I used to drive fast. Although I only had two tickets for it.
Then when I left the military, I had all my possessions in a school bus and drove from Alberta to Southern Ontario. The bus would only do 50 mph. One day between Winnipeg and Thunderbay, I had a car pass me six times. When I stopped for a light at at Thunderbay, the same car pulled up beside me.
That's when I realized that you didn't have to drive fast, you just had to drive steady.
So when people on the CB call out "where's the Bears at?" I think to myself, "who cares!".
Click to expand...

I drive highway 5, 16 and 63 more than I care to admit. I set the cruise at 5-10km/h over the limit and I often get passed by the same vehicles 3-4 times. Never been pulled over for speeding either. (Just don't speed through Hinton, AB. #### photo radar has some good hiding spots. At least those don't go on your abstract )

taxihacker66 · Jan 31, 2016

Yeah I got one of those in the mail wasnt cheap. But my own fault.

AModelCat · Jan 31, 2016

They nailed me on the East side of Hinton. Right where the speed limit transitions from 80 to 100. Dirty ########. Cost me $140.

tinytim · Jan 31, 2016

CasanovaCruiser said: ↑

Well that's encouraging.

A rebel reformed. Hopefully the high and mightys of this site stop telling people they'll never be a good driver because of one mistake now. However unlikely.
Click to expand...

I doubt anyone thinks one mistake means someone will never be a good driver. The idea that it could take countless tickets, a suspension, a head-on collision and more tickets before it's realized is what concerns people.

tinytim · Jan 31, 2016

MooneyBravo said: ↑

I'm 57 and started driving semi trucks sometime in 1980. I see a lot of trucks pulled over these days and I know it is because they were speeding. The term I like to use is "driving like a maniac." I remember being in their shoes when I was younger and had so much to prove to the world. I was out of control from the day I was born and it took me many years to slow down and reinvent myself. I had my license suspended before I was 17 due to having earned at least 6 speeding tickets, some of which cost me some jail time. When I started driving semi's, I was awarded several speeding tickets along with one head on collision in 1981 and a reckless operation. That was in less than 1 year of commercial driving. If that isn't enough, your learners permit that you get when you are 16; It got suspended. I was charged with driving a vehicle without a licensed driver. You could say that I had a lot of trouble getting out of the chute. My last ticket was in 1996 going into Blythe, CA.

I have worked very hard to get where I am now and in October of this year 2016 I will have 20 years without any charges on my CDL. I'm reminded of what it was like when the CDL was instituted back in the late 80's. I knew a few drivers who's driving records had caught up with them. Before the CDL came out, if you had accumulated too many tickets you could simply go to another state and apply for a drivers license and you were back in business. These drivers were now faced with paying back every ticket they had been awarded in all states that they had held a license. For some it ended their careers.

In hindsight, especially after that accident, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had simply learned how to slow down. After all, I wasn't making any better money by putting my license on the line. The money I made from speeding and dodging scale houses was the change I had in my pocket. After that accident, nobody worth driving for would even look at me for over 3 years. I'm not OTR anymore but if I was I wouldn't accept a load from a shipper that I knew I would have to break my personal boundaries i.e. sleep, hours of service, speeding etc. to deliver on time or beat traffic or weather.

Everyone today is in a hurry driving like I used to drive; driving like a maniac, going absolutely nowhere, following too close, driving too fast for conditions and not paying attention to the big picture. I just kick back and set my cruise to no faster than 3 miles over the speed limit. Can I get away with more? Probably depending on where I am but I have come to the conclusion that speed limits are posted for a reason and I have even more recently subscribed to driving no faster than the posted speed limit which in todays world usually means that I'm the slowest person on the road. And when the road starts getting congested, I remind myself that I don't have anything to gain by passing other vehicles and I don't have to drive the speed limit. It's only a limit and I can drive slower if need be.

For me, it's not what I can get away with but rather what is the law? It's a matter of principle. If we look around us we have little by little become a nation of impatient law breakers who have no respect for the other driver. This is exactly how I was when I was younger. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Think about it.
I'm probably going to sound a little harsh here but it's an uncontestable fact.

When you speed, you break the law.
When you break the law, you are committing a crime.
Speeding is a criminal offense.

If you are a speeder who has charges on your record I would like to encourage you to reflect on what you have gained by speeding other than violations. Today is as good as any to reinvent yourself and simply say "No More."

I haven't seen any blue lights behind me in many years and what's nice for me is that when I apply for a job today, within 48 hours they are calling me and asking me "When can you start?"
Click to expand...

Thanks for the experience. Hopefully some can learn from it.

taxihacker66 · Jan 31, 2016

With the lost revenue in oil they gotta make it up somewhere. got me for a hundred

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Find Trucking Jobs

Speeding Tickets

randal02lee Light Load Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Chewy352 Road Train Member

Diesel Dave Last Few of the OUTLAWS

Chewy352 Road Train Member

AModelCat Road Train Member

taxihacker66 Road Train Member

AModelCat Road Train Member

tinytim Road Train Member

tinytim Road Train Member

taxihacker66 Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Find Trucking Jobs

Speeding Tickets

randal02lee Light Load Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Chewy352 Road Train Member

Diesel Dave Last Few of the OUTLAWS

Chewy352 Road Train Member

AModelCat Road Train Member

taxihacker66 Road Train Member

AModelCat Road Train Member

tinytim Road Train Member

tinytim Road Train Member

taxihacker66 Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!