Should I fight a speeding ticket?

I had a redlight ticket, I played not guilty. On court date, I got there early before court started and met up with the officer. I asked him if he could reduce the moving violation to a NON moving violation. He agreed. But during court proceedings when my name was called the judge said DISMISSED.
Here’s a tip, get friendly with the officer, there real people too, there Just doing there job. Catch them at the right time and you would be surprised how they will give you a break. I have family members that are cops, and all have told me if there approach politely, they usually will dismissed in court. Just my 2 cents.

 

Not strokinh my ego... You asked if you had to pay a lawyer...

What you think you get a lawyer pro bono for a speeding ticket?

Or did you think the state would provide one for a trafic offense? To a fully employed truck driver??

Its kinda cute your this naive. But naive people get swallowed alive.

It has nothing to do with being a new driver... Its a basic common sense...

 

That works if you are able to connect with people like that. Most people cant and alot of drivers are socialy awkward before they started driving or slowly become. With all the hours talking to oneself. Its safer bet to get a lawyer. He will know everyone at the court house and possible friends with them. Instead of trying to be smooth and wnd up sticking your foot in your mouth and making things harder. Let a professional help keep your cdl in good standing.

 

As the others said. Get a lawyer.

If you can't afford one, one will not be appointed to you. You do have options though...

1. Approach the cop at court like @Diesel Dave suggested.

2. Some courts have the DA available before court starts, and they can change the charge from point related or not. My sandbar..the county I reside in does this. Friday is basically traffic court day...the put 3 or 4 DA's at a table and do their thing. Everywhere is different though.

3. If you need time to obtain a lawyer or money for one...you can also get continuances . Yes you can do it with traffic violations. From my understanding and experience...you can get up 2. The third one usually requires a lawyer. First one is usually so you can obtain a lawyer. Again...in my experience.

4. Ignore the options above and just do what that #######...err I mean @Snakeschasingcars(I'm just joking Snakes!) said an just get a lawyer. You will have a lawyer bill plus whatever the ticket fine is. This is what I would do if it was me.

Don't do what I saw one guy do. He went..talked to a DA. Didn't like what the DA said cause you know...everyone is lawyer cause they watch Law & Order and went to the Court Clerk. An preceded to yell, cuss and make a general ### of himself. He got arrested.

Don't be that guy.

Good luck to ya.

Sirscrapntruckalot - Make'm say...UGHHhh! - Master P, or dinner at a bad restaurant, your call.

 

Get a lawyer, one that is local to the county you got the ticket in. I had an 11 over ticket with a hazmat truck once. Ticket would have been $250. Payed a lawyer $125 and he got it dismissed without me having to even show up in court.

It's a luck game though. There is no guarantee that the ticket will even get reduced.

 

I've had two speeding tickets in five years of driving a big truck. The first was at an obvious small town revenue generator in upstate New York. The lawyer charged me $300, and got the ticket changed to "Failure to obey a traffic control device". Surprising how that ticket cost as much as the original ticket, but carries no points in my home state.

The other was heading down the Grapevine heading north out of L.A.. $250 lawyer's fee, and that trial is in a couple of weeks.

Yes, that's a chunk of change to fork over to lawyers, but the alternative, appearing in court personally, would cost me a lot more.

 

10 miles over in a construction zone in most states will get you a reckless op automatic as soon as you plead no contest or not guilty . it will make it a lot tougher to get a job or even keep the one you have . even a bad lawyer can it reduced to 5 mph over a decent one can get it reduced to a non moving violation. ... unfortunately with a cdl you fight everything

 

7 bucks a week is a lot of money,
I been driving 12 years with no tickets, had I enrolled in a ticket defender program at lets say 5 dollars a week when I started then I would have paid three thousand one hundred twenty dollars for their program.
OOIDA offers lawyer referrals if you're a member, I think. And that membership is money well spent,

 

To me fighting the ticket or not to fight it is not the point or the answer. Backing off that speed is. Avoiding the ticket in the first place is always my advice. However regardless your chances of "winning" even with an attorney is VERY small. Your chances of getting the ticket reduced or the charge changed is maybe 50 50. Don't fall for some of these war stories you are going to see in here.

There are some tables in §383.51 you should be aware of. These tables EVEN apply when driving your personal vehicle. Their confusing at first, but I suggest you study ALL of them!

 

I fought the law and the law won.