Can Traffic Tickets Affect My Job or CDL in Missouri?
Andrew Russek and Chris Combs, attorneys with Combs Waterkotte, Missouri’s leading traffic lawyer, sit down to discuss the impact of traffic tickets on your CDL and career.
Interview Transcript
Scott Michael Dunn: Can traffic tickets affect my job or a CDL?
Andrew Russek: They can affect your job depending on the type of traffic ticket and what your job is. CDL especially.
So for CDL, there’s a Federal statute – called “anti-masking” is the colloquial term for it – which inherently means that certain grant money to agencies from the federal government are contingent on, for lack of a better word, them coming down harder on CDL tickets.
Scott Michael Dunn: Wow.
Andrew Russek: So they’re not supposed to, essentially, cut you a break. Right?
If you were speeding, don’t have a record, a state prosecutor may cut you a break, give you a fine. They’re not supposed to do that for CDL tickets. And CDLs are very contingent on points. So, A. your insurance is automatically more, so the increase in your insurance is going to be exponential if you’re a CDL holder, as well as you may just lose your CDL from the Department of Revenue, or whatever DMV or licensed out of, whatever state.
And I would imagine most employers don’t want their drivers having speeding tickets. So, you may also become a candidate – even if you hold onto your CDL license, you may get dropped by your commercial company that gives you business.
So, there are things we can do with certain CDL tickets, but it’s a lot more serious. It’s not just showing up to court and talking to the prosecutor one time. It takes a lot more work on those CDLs, but there’s a lot more hanging over your head if you’re a CDL driver.
Chris Combs: And I’ve had certain CDL drivers tell me, “Look, if I take these points, it doesn’t even make sense for me to be a CDL driver because my insurance rates will go up that much.”
Scott Michael Dunn: Wow.
Chris Combs: Yeah.
If you’ve got a traffic ticket are looking to protect your license (plus your wallet), contact Combs Waterkotte today at (314) 900-HELP or reach out online for a free case review. You can also upload a picture of your ticket below:
