In the past, it was common in the traffic courts around North Carolina and the rest of the country to offer deals to infrequent or first-time traffic offenders, who got caught in a minor slip up, like driving a few miles over the limit or pushing through a yellow light. These deals would usually involve the payment of some money or doing something good for the community, in exchange for avoiding what some commercial drivers consider the biggest consequence of a traffic ticket, the black mark on one’s drivig record.
Not only can any history of traffic violations lead to higher insurance rates, it also often means the loss of one’s job. This is because many trucking and other companies have a zero tolerance policy for drivers who get caught breaking traffic laws.
Unfortunately, relatively recent federal regulations now prevent the courts of any state from “masking” a commercial driver’s traffic violation. What this means is that commercial drivers are not supposed to be allowed in to diversion programs or have their convictions remain unreported to those in charge of motor vehicle records. Moreover, they cannot plead guilty to an unrelated violation, like littering, in order to avoid the consequences of a moving violation, like speeding, failing to yield and the like.
This does not mean that commercial drivers have no hope after receiving a traffic ticket. It may mean they need to fight the ticket or at least come up with a creative way to avoid the full brunt of the ticket’s consequences. To do this, they will likely want the help of an experienced criminal law and traffic law attorney in North Carolina.
