Suspended license

CaptD you really have nothing to be concerned with if it's just a one day suspension. The criteria when it becomes a problem is usually if a suspension is 30 days or longer. Some ask about 60 days. But 1 day suspension shouldn't be a factor for 95% of companies.

Tomgee, I'm afraid your situation is a lot tougher. A 6 month suspension is going to seriously put some limitations on who will hire you. I can empathize with you as I am a PA resident also and am very familiar with PA's driving without financial responsibility laws. Unfortunately you'll just have to take what you can get and once the suspension is more than 3 years old you'll have more options at that time.

 

This is what happens in PA. If you are stopped in PA (and have a PA drivers license) for whatever reason and you do not have the minimum insurance coverage you will be charged with driving without financial responsibility. You will then receive a letter telling you the registration for your vehicle is being revoked and demand you mail them your vehicle's license plate. Later you receive notice from PennDot informing you that your driving privileges are being suspended for 90 days. They tell you have up until a certain date to mail them your license and time credited towards your suspension does not start until they receive your license. You cannot drive legally until you pay the reinstatement fee and receive the license back from them. All these details are provided for you if you just read the correspondence they sent you. Not trying to scold you here just saying you were likely provided all the necessary information you needed to make a correct response but somehow you failed to comply with said instructions and are upset there was an additional penalty and now repercussions from this series of events.

As the proverb goes: we all reap what we sow.

 

Sounds like a tough system, very complicated. California is much simpler. Stopped without the minimum insurance, no problem, call the tow truck, impound the car for 30 days. Now you have 30 days to get your insurance problem corrected. At the end of the 30 days take proof of insurance, DMV filing to lift suspension, Proof of ownership, and lots of cash to impound yard (they don't take checks or credit cards). $30/40 per day plus $200/300 towing charge to get the car out. Then about 30 days later you get to talk to the judge. More $$$ and maybe another license suspension.

 

No doubt PA is very strict when it comes to having minimum insurance coverage.

I believe they really toughened their stance due to the amount of uninsured drivers causing/being involved in accidents in Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

No warning, no leniency. You can be without coverage for one day and if you are caught 90 day license suspension and 90 day registration suspensions are automatic. And they don't care about the reason either. If your insurance carrier dropped you and didn't tell you (as they are legally bound to do) it is up to you to file a complaint against the carrier. PennDot doesn't touch anything beyond the motor vehicle code.