Can a Lawyer Help With a CDL Traffic Ticket?

Some courts will not amend CDL tickets because they think a federal statute prohibits them from changing or “masking” tickets for commercial drivers. Other courts interpret the statute in a way that allows them to amend the tickets. Not all amendments are equal, though; some are perfectly fine for a driver with a Missouri license but don't work for out-of-state drivers. It is important to hire a lawyer who is familiar with CDL traffic law. This page is intended to be a brief summary of how lawyers help with CDL tickets. For more information, click here.

What Types of Violations Can a Lawyer Help With?

Lawyers can generally only help prevent tickets from being reported to state licensing authorities. In Missouri, that is the Department of Revenue (DOR). If you plead guilty to a ticket in Missouri, the court will send the conviction to the DOR. If you have a Missouri license, the DOR will place points on your driving record. If you have an out-of-state license, the DOR will notify the appropriate agency in your home state, such as the Illinois Secretary of State, Texas Department of Public Safety, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, etc. 

The local court will not report an amendment to the Department of Revenue. If you hire a lawyer to have your ticket changed to a non-moving violation, the local court will not notify the DOR because the amended charge is not a point violation. 

Lawyers generally cannot help with violations uploaded to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration system. They cannot prevent entries on the Pre-Employment Screening Program or Safety Measurement System. The good news is that violations are usually only reported to these systems when they are part of a roadside inspection report issued by a certified DOT officer. A local, county, or state officer will simply refer your ticket to a local court, where an attorney might be able to arrange for an amendment.

Court Appearances

A local lawyer can almost always keep you from having to show up for court, even if the jurisdiction does not amend CDL tickets. For some reason, many courts issue CDL tickets with mandatory appearances. This is, to say the least, inconvenient. A lawyer can go to court for you and arrange for a ticket to be paid by mail or online if they cannot get it amended. 

Overweight Tickets

Overweight tickets are not point violations and are not reported to the Missouri Department of Revenue. A lawyer can usually work out a fine reduction and can keep you from having to go to court. Hiring a lawyer doesn't always save you money on an overweight ticket, but it will certainly save you time and aggravation. 

Please call attorney Ruth Beerup at 636-940-1111 if you have a CDL ticket in the St. Louis area. She has 25+ years of experience dealing with traffic tickets and regularly handles commercial driving tickets.