Driving a truck or other commercial motor vehicle is a noble profession and is an honest way to put food on the table and help support a family. When a CDL holder receives a ticket for a simple offense such as Improper Lane Usage the consequences are often nothing short of draconian. In Illinois a non-CDL holder may request supervision and avoid a conviction on his record. However, CDL drivers are not eligible for supervision, and therefore, are subject to a mandatory conviction. This is true even if the CDL driver has not had a ticket in 20 years. If a CDL driver receives two moving violation convictions within a 3 year period of time his CDL is subject to a 60 day disqualification. Imagine how scary it must be to be told that for a 60 day period of time you cannot do what you have been relying on for the last 20 years to earn a living. It gets worse when you consider the fact that even one conviction may raise a CDL holder’s insurance to the point that he becomes less attractive to his current and future prospective employers.
Since supervision is not a viable option a traffic attorney must be creative in finding ways to protect the careers of his or her CDL clients. If a CDL holder receives a ticket for a moving violation I will request that the charge be amended to a non-moving violation. The following charges have not detrimentally impacted the careers of my CDL clients:
- 5/12-601(a) (Loud Horn)
- 5/12-211(a) (Broken Headlight or Broken Tail Light)
- 5/12-503(e) (Cracked Windshield)
- 5/12-611 (Loud Stereo/radio)
- 5/12-603.1 (Failure to Wear Seatbelt)
- 5/12-502 (Broken Rear View Mirror)
- 5/11-1301(a) (Parking Violation)
- 5/11-1304(a) (Parking Violation)
- 5/12-301 (Defective Brakes)
- 5/12-602 (Loud Muffler)
