TicketVoid

Can you fight a traffic ticket?

tvblog — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:25:19 +0000

Only 5 % of the US population chooses to fight a traffic ticket or challenge speeding ticket in court. Why is that number so small? There are about 100,000 speeding tickets issued everyday across the United States. These traffic tickets are issued from Live police officers ( using radar and laser guns), speeding cameras, camera vans and red light traffic cameras. Most of the states have a point system so when you receive a traffic ticket not only do you receive a fine but there are points associated with the fine. Points then become a part of your DMV Department of Motor Vehicle record along with the traffic ticket information. Insurance companies have access to pull these records as part of the policies terms of service, they can pull your DMV record, if you have a certain number of points they can assess you with an increase in your insurance premiums. On the state level the DMV or the state can suspend your driver’s license because of accumulating to many points in a year period of time. Also if you miss a court date you will receive a Failure to appear ( FTA) which usually comes with a warrant out for your arrest. I guess most people don’t know that all this can happen with some traffic violations.

With some of this basic knowledge it makes a lot of sense to hire a local traffic ticket attorney to fight your case for you. The traffic law firm can defend your ticket with a quick phone call. They usually know what the courts are like and what will be the outcome if you use their legal service. Traffic ticket attorneys usually give free consultations to their potential clients. Most of the clients proceed with hiring a ticket lawyer to defend their case because most of the time the pricing is very reasonable and there is a likelihood of a favorable outcome or a lesser charge. In many states there are traffic ticket law firms exclusively dedicated to defending traffic law. To contact a local traffic ticket lawyer fill out the form above and Ticketvoid.com will match you to a local law firm.

Compliance Saftey Accountability CSA - for cdl drivers Q & A

tvblog — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:55:11 +0000

Commercial truck drivers have many things working against them. For years there has been many changes to the law and what the driver can and can’t do all the way down to their health cards. The new CSA 2010 law is here and here to stay. It is complex and the commercial driver should educate themselves on the program. It’s imperative that you understand the basics of the law, know what your record and history shows, change the behaviors that count against your record and if the driver needs to dispute certain outstanding issues – hire a traffic ticket attorney.

Get your pre screening program PSP report for employment. This report compiles your most recent crash data and 3 years of roadside inspection..this is not a MVR report. If you authorize the carriers view your psp report they can view your information as a prescreening tool and not for reviewing current drivers.

Here are a list of questions for The Compliance Safety Accountability CSA and Prescreening program PSP:

How can I contest the information in my FMCSA commercial driving record?
Go on-line to the DATAQs https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov
Request for Data review in the FMCSA database, you need to register online to create an account/profile.

I received a traffic ticket in my personal vehicle – will that affect my PSP?
No traffic tickets for commercial drivers will not count on their Safety Measurement System SMS. Only applies if they get in the commercial vehicle.

My last employer, I received a couple of CSA violations, I have switched jobs to another carrier, do these CSA violations count against the new carriers score?
No the new carrier does not inherit any of your previous CSA violations. However, the PSP will show your history and might be a red flag for how you might perform for them..based on your history.

I received a moving violation in my commercial vehicle – what can a CDL driver do?
Hire a traffic ticket lawyer www.ticketvoid.com
Visit the https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov

Another good resource for employment history visit www.dotjobhistory.com

Commercial drivers and employment with negatives about cdl driver

tvblog — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:40:24 +0000

How Long Do Various Employment Negatives Remain on Your Record?

My Mom (a good ole Old Testament Mom) was fond of quoting Numbers 32:23 to me as a kid; “your sin will find you out.” Fair enough I guess, but I always scratched my head and wondered how long the dadgum sin would follow me around.

I’ve had many questions recently on how long negative information will stay on various reports potential employers may order. This depends on the information, how it is obtained and even varies by state, but let’s use a broad brush, not get too technical and review four primary areas of information employers review on potential drivers; Employment, Driving, Criminal and CSA2010 PSP reports—and how long negatives can stay on these reports.

Key timeframes to remember are 3 years, 5 years, 7 years and indefinitely.

3-year Information

• DOT Drug and Alcohol Violations stay on your record for 3 years. (Keep in mind; a company may not report the positive or refused test longer than 3 years, but still report that the driver was terminated and is not eligible for rehire due to a company policy violation longer than 3 years. A positive or refused test can ruin your driving career for a long time.)
• Many moving violations will fall off your driving record (MVR) in 3 years. However, the information found on MVRs can no longer be reliably classified as 3-year information. Many states have passed laws that alcohol violations remain on the record for 10 years. Some states show even regular moving violations for 10 years if the violator is a CDL holder. Other states just mess up the whole scheme. For example, one state reports moving violations for 5 years. DWI, no insurance and drug-related violations are reported indefinitely, while SR judgments are reported for 11 years.
• Roadside Inspection Data on CSA2010 PSP Reports obtained from the FMCSA MCMIS system fall off after 3 years.

5-year Information

• Crash data obtained from the FMCSA MCMIS system.

7-year Information

• Employment information obtained from a consumer reporting agency (CRA) that will be used to help decide if you get a job, could negatively affect your chances for getting a job for 7 years. The most common CRA agency of this type for truck drivers is HireRight (formerly known as USIS or DAC Services), the company that provides “DAC Reports.” After 7 years, the CRA may report basic information such as dates of employment, but not information such as job performance, reason for leaving, eligibility for rehire, etc., that could be negative. This includes incident/accident information. (After 10 years, even the basic information falls off.)

• Criminal record arrest information that does not have a conviction may be reported for 7 years only. If there is a conviction, the information may be reported indefinitely in the majority of cases.

No time limit

• The most common type of information that doesn’t expire is a criminal record conviction data. However, as mentioned above, some states have indefinite reporting periods for driving violations.

One thing to keep in mind for most of these negatives is that timing, even within reporting periods, matters. In other words, a criminal conviction from 11 years ago matters less than one which happened a month ago. A negative employment reference from 5 years ago with satisfactory work experience since then matters less than one from your immediate past employer.

If you are looking for a job or thinking about looking for job, you should obtain all your information and know when any negatives will drop off. Needless to say, if there are negatives that should not be on your reports in the first place, you take steps to correct them before they affect you.

Derek Hinton is the CEO of TIES, LLC, better known as www.DOTJobHistory.com. DOTJobHistory allows drivers to obtain and verify their employment (DAC), driving and criminal records. They may then make this information available over the web to employers who can access the information instantly.

Derek has over 20 years experience in the areas of employment screening, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Motor Carrier Safety regulations. He began his career at DAC Services in 1984 and is the author of The Criminal Records Manual, a book that details criminal records in the hiring process.

Contact information for Derek can be found at www.dotjobhistory.com

How to act when pulled over for a Traffic Ticket

tvblog — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:29:46 +0000

Traffic Tickets can be tricky.
There are certain unwritten rules that we should all heed when being pulled over by a police officer for a traffic ticket, no matter what the infraction is, or reason you are being pulled over for. Clearly the act of being pulled over is not a good thing, but with the following knowledge maybe you can remember that biting your tongue may be the best thing for you.
The reason is this….officers make notes on the back of their citations so they can remember those individuals that give them a hard time on the side of the road. You might think ’so what, I’m getting the traffic violation anyway, I might as well give the officer a piece of my mind.’ Below are some reasons why it does matter, especially if you decide to hire a traffic ticket attorney to take your violation to traffic court.
For example, often times your attorney may have positive relationships with police officers that can have an effect on the severity of your traffic ticket. If an officer comes to court and tells the attorney his client called him a “jerk” on the side of the road do you think he will care of his relationship with the attorney? The hearing officer will give the client a worse result than he would have gotten if the officer had no comment to make.
It can affect other things as well. For instance, let’s say that an officer gave you a ticket for 25 miles per hour over the speed limit. This officer may be an officer that your attorney works well with. In some instances this officer will help the attorney out by amending the speed of the ticket to a lower speed to save the client money. If the client was rude to the officer on the side of the road he is less inclined to help the attorney or the client out in traffic court.
The bottom line is this. BE UNMEMORABLE, in other words, it’s better that an officer has no recollection of you from the side of the road. That way, if your traffic ticket attorney asks for a favor he will be more inclined to help him/her out and save you some money.

Suspended license Illinois - Driving while suspended license

tvblog — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:14:50 +0000

Suspended License Illinois
If you have recently had your Illinois driver’s license suspended there are some facts you should know about Illinois driver’s license laws. There are very hefty fines associated with driving on a suspended license, far more excessive than that of a typical traffic ticket. At the minimum, it is considered a Class A misdemeanor with a fine up to $2,500 and up to 364 days in jail. In some cases, drivers may even be charged with a felony. This can carry a fine of up to $25,000 and a term of up to seven years in prison.
To avoid getting an IL suspended license and to protect your driving privileges, here are some violations you will want to avoid:
DUI
You’ll lose your driving privileges for at least 12 months if the Office of the Secretary of State receives a conviction report from a DUI offense.
Underage Drinking
Regardless of whether a vehicle was involved, any driver under the age of 21 ticketed for alcohol consumption will face a loss of driving privileges.
Failure to Appear (FTA)At the request of a Circuit Clerk’s Office within the state or an equivalent agency from another state, your license can be suspended if you have an unsatisfied traffic citation.
Parking Suspension
At the request of a parking municipality, your driving privileges can be suspended if you have been issued 10 or more parking violations that remain unsatisfied.
Tollway Violations or EvasionsState law allows your license to be suspended for failing to pay fines for five or more tollway violations or evasions.
Failure to Pay Child SupportUnder the Family Financial Responsibility Act, the Secretary of State can suspend a driver’s license as part of the Deadbeats Don’t Drive program.
Failure to Yield to an Emergency VehicleIf you don’t show proper caution and yield to an emergency vehicle when its lights are flashing, your license can be suspended if your action results in the death of another person.

To find out if your driver’s license is suspended you can order a copy of your driving record or consult your local Secretary of State (SOS) office. Link Below.
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/drivers/facilities/home.html
If you are in legal trouble for driving on a suspended driver’s license, you should consider consulting an attorney for legal options. An traffic ticket attorney experienced in matters of Illinois suspended licenses will be able to address your legal concerns and defend you in the event of court proceedings.

MVR, Dac reports, PSP Reports Incidents/Accidents/Crashes - cdl drivers

tvblog — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:36:46 +0000

DAC Reports, MVRs, PSP Reports and Crashes/Accidents/Incidents
A DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas and talks with an old truck driver home from the road. He tells the driver, “I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.” The driver says, “Okay, but do not go in that field over there,” as he points out the location.
The DEA officer verbally explodes, saying, “Mister, I have the authority of the federal government with me.” Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the driver. “See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish. On any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand? ”
The driver nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores. A short time later, the old driver hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the driver’s big Santa Gertrudis bull.
With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he’ll get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified.
The driver throws down his tools, runs to the fence, and yells at the top of his lungs…..
“Your badge. Show him your BADGE!”
I’ve thought about this joke several times in the past few months when talking to a driver who has used our service to get his driving record, DAC report and PSP report and there has been a discrepancy among the three regarding a Crash/Accident/Incident.
The PSP report contains the past 5 years of crash data and three years of inspection data. If a crash/accident does show, it does not necessarily mean the driver was at fault.
The MVR report may show an accident, but it varies by state on whether it will show. Some states require the driver to be at fault, others only show if a citation was given, etc.
The DAC report may not show accidents on a driver that appear on a MVR or PSP report, or may show accidents that are not on the PSP or DAC. And again, the DAC report may show accidents/incidents where the driver was not at fault.
Given this hodge-podge of reports where a Crash/Accident/Incident may show on one report, but not the other, I’ve had several drivers who believed that because one report did not list the Crash/Accident/Incident, it should not be considered or “counted.” For example they might have their driving record (which did not show an accident or crash) but another report did and they were attempting to prove that the other report was wrong.
It doesn’t work that way. In fact, waving your clear MVR (or DAC or PSP report) will probably do you about as much good as the DEA officer flashing his badge to the Santa Gertrudis bull. That badge will hold water in some quarters—others…not so much.
If you are a driver looking for a job or just being proactive, your best bet is to get all your information so you know exactly what a potential employer will see. Further, aside from just knowing, correcting a report can take time—and when there’s an opportunity for a better job or the paychecks stop coming in, time can be money.

walgreens cfo Wade Miquelon arrested for dui last month

tvblog — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:32:47 +0000

Walgreens cfo Wade Miquelon of Winnetka was arrested last month on a dui as well as driving on a suspended license . Walgreens has a new CEO who apparently has changed the culture and workplace. I was wondering if Corkey Walgreens would have tolerated this type of behavior while he was in charge? I guess it points out that Walgreens executives can get dui’s and won’t lose their jobs…however if you are a truck driver for walgreens and you have .05 limit in your blood then you will lose your license along with your job. Is that fair?