Holders of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) are held to a higher standard than non-commercial drivers. This goes for when they are driving their non-commercial, personal vehicles as well as commercial vehicles.
Call Stegall Law Firm at 901-205-9894 for more information
If you’re a CDL driver and received a ticket in Memphis for speeding or being in an accident, you need to talk to a Memphis traffic ticket lawyer because the court is going to be much tougher on you than with other drivers. Non-commercial drivers can usually go on probation or take a driver safety class to keep a ticket off their record. Not so for CDL drivers. Under federal law, CDLs are not eligible to have a traffic violation deferred through special proceedings. The law says: The state must not mask, defer imposition of judgment, or allow an individual to enter into a diversion program that would prevent a CDL driver’s conviction for any violation, in any type of motor vehicle, of a state or local traffic control law (except a parking violation) from appearing on the CDLIS driver record, whether the driver was convicted for an offense committed in the state where the driver is licensed or another state. Remember, this applies whether you were driving a commercial vehicle or your own, non-commercial vehicle. So CDL drivers have limited options when they get a ticket in Memphis.
Honestly, the only options are to either plead guilty or have a trial. Pleading guilty, of course, means that the ticket goes on your record and you very well may lose your job. At least with a trial you give yourself a fighting chance. If it’s a speeding ticket, the officer may not show up or if they do you may be able to show that the radar gun wasn’t working properly. If it’s an accident the other driver may not show up. Whatever your charge, you need to prepare yourself for a legal fight.
Contact Stegall Law
Patrick Stegall is a Memphis lawyer for CDL tickets. If you drive for a living and need to keep your job, contact Mr. Stegall for help. Whether your ticket is for speeding, being in an accident, not having valid insurance, or other violations, Mr. Stegall can prepare a defense that gives you the best chance of coming out a winner. Call him at (901) 205-9894 or email him at pstegall@stegall-law.com.
