Protect Your Livelihood

If you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or a commercial learner’s permit (CLP), a single violation could put your livelihood into serious jeopardy. If you received a traffic citation and you have a commercial driver’s license, you need to consult with an experienced traffic attorney who can explain your options. For any CDL holder violation in Fort Worth, an attorney’s help goes a long way to preserving your ability to work. As described in detail below, both moving violations and non-moving violations can cause you serious problems. You need an experienced traffic ticket attorney to fight for your rights, fight to protect your record, and fight to protect your livelihood.

Deferred Disposition / Driver’s Safety Course

If you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or a commercial learner’s permit (CLP), you are not eligible to have your ticket dismissed through deferred disposition (probation) or by taking a driver’s safety course if the citation is for a moving violation. Unfortunately, it does not matter what type of vehicle you were driving when you received the citation. This means you have to find alternative ways to keep your driving record clean.

We have several ways that we may be able to keep your record clean. For example, we may be able to have the allegation changed to a moving violation, enter a pretrial diversion program, or find a non-moving violation we can plea to prevent taking a plea on a moving violation. If all else fails, you have an attorney on your side that is ready to fight to keep your record clean.

Moving Violations and Points

Texas no longer has a point system; however, moving violations will still affect both your driving record and CSA scores. “Moving” violations are defined as “an act committed in connection with the operation of a motor vehicle on a public street or highway, which constitutes a hazard to traffic and is prohibited by state law or city ordinance.” An accumulation of too many moving violations may result in a license suspension. More concerning are serious moving violations (listed below) that can result in disqualification of your CDL.

If you received a moving violation, whether in a personal vehicle or your commercial motor vehicle, you need an experienced traffic ticket attorney that will fight to help keep your driving record clean.

Serious Moving Violation

A conviction on certain violations will result in disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle for a specified amount of time. It is important to note that the disqualification can occur regardless of whether the offense occurred in a commercial motor vehicle or your personal vehicle. The following chart shows which violations will lead to disqualification with a conviction:

These disqualifications result from a conviction; this means if you avoid a conviction, you avoid the disqualification. The disqualification does not affect your ability to drive a personal vehicle. While we cannot guarantee we can avoid a conviction on all violations, we have a good rate of success and will fight to keep your record clean.

With certain disqualifications, you may be eligible to request a hearing to contest the disqualification. If your license is disqualified, please contact us to discuss your options.

PLEASE NOTE: Requests to contest a disqualification are time-sensitive; you cannot request a contest after the deadline has passed.

CSA / Roadside Inspections

Compliance, Safety, and Accountability Points (CSA Points) are part of a safety enforcement program administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to identify high-risk carriers and drivers. CSA points are only accessed when a driver is in a commercial motor vehicle. Also, unlike points on your driving record that are only accessed upon a conviction, CSA points are accessed upon the allegation, meaning you are guilty until proven innocent.

CSA points are accessed on a sliding scale based on the severity of the offense and when the offense occurred. Data remains on the company record for 24 months and on the CDL holder’s record for 36 months (crash records will be on file for 60 months).

A CSA score cannot lead to a license suspension, but due to increasing scrutiny from the FMCSA, carriers are keeping a close eye on their driver’s CSA scores. This means you need need to do all you can to keep your CSA score as low as possible. If a violation is dismissed, you can petition to have CSA points removed through the FMCSA’s DataQ program.