Question:
I cannot believe that National Distributors (a small OTR company in southern Indiana) turned me down because I got a speeding 2 years ago at 15 mph over the limit. It is the only blemish on my entire driving record too. The hell of it is I got that ticket at 6:30 in the morning on a state highway, perfect driving conditions, and no other cars in site. Oh well...it's their loss and Werners gain. I start Werner orentaion on Monday. I just wonder if most companies have that strict of a hiring policy.

Answer:
I can't speak on behalf of all trucking companies, but basically the story is that companies can only hire according to what their insurance allows. Any company that hires inexperienced drivers pays what comes to a fortune for insurance, so to somewhat reduce that cost, many companies opt for only drivers with perfectly clean records. Companies also pay less for insurance by driving only within certain regions, hiring more experienced drivers (with 1-2 years and clean driving records), and hauling non-hazardous freight. Even type of equipment is a factor. What this means for a driver is that a company may really want to hire you, but if you cannot be approved by their insurance, you can't work for them.
Now with Werner, they are a little different because they are self-insured. They can set somewhat different rules about the drivers they employ, but even Werner can be picky. Anyway, good luck with them.

Answer:
in some states, also in the eyes of some insurance companies is considered reckless driving. If you are just starting your driving career please know this. 15 over in a commercial vehicle is considered reckless driving regardless of what state you are from.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
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Answer:
Cadillac jack is very much correct about the insurance companies controlling who can drive. We now have to get written approval for every new driver or they will deny insurance if he is involved in an accident. If we keep him on in a non driving job he has to sign and we have to sign a notice acknowledging that there is no insurance if he drives.
I know one company owner that cannot even drive any of his own trucks. I talked to another independent last week who is losing his truck because he cannot get insurance he can afford and his record is not really that bad, three tickets under 15mph in three years.
In the past they based your premiums on your losses. Now they also factor in the MVR's of your drivers. If you have a clean record you had better keep it that way regardless of the cost or find a new line of work.
morris
Speeding Ticket Central

Answer:
"State highway, perfect conditions, no cars in sight" so this means hammer down?? Sheesh driver, 15 over is 15 over. Most states I know define this as not only reckless, but willful reckless.
Morris: Three tickets in three years gets your CDL lifted in my state.
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." pogo

Answer:
15 over in a commercial motor vehicle is a serious violation as defined under the CDL compact. In some states, it is reckless driving and not simple speeding (here, with a 65 mph limit, 80 is still speeding, but 81 is reckless because it is the first number in excess of 80 and qualifies as reckless driving under § 46.2-862).
It doesn't matter much, as either speed at 15 over the limit in a CMV or reckless driving is a "serious violation" under section § 46.2-341.20 which is modeled on the statutes as enacted by all states under the act. Two convictions in 36 months will result in a 60 day disqualification, and a third conviction within the 36 months will result in another 120 days disqualification.
That one "15 over two years ago" put you half way there. To them, and to you in a CMV, it is the same as reckless driving in it's effect on your CDL status.
For further reading, and for an example of the laws as they pertain to the CDL, click on this here link and look at sections § 46.2-341.1 through § 46.2-341.34.
Later .............
... and whatever you do, have a SAFE TRIP... -->

Answer:
at one time it was allowed to separate tickets by what you were driving when you recieved them. For example a ticket in a commercial vehicle would mean one thing and the same ticket in a car would mean something else. No longer. due to recent changes made is the regs a ticket is a ticket is a ticket if you hold a CDL.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
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Answer:
that 15mph over the speed limit is now considered reckless driving in just about any state, in a comercial vehicle what you get is a 5 year pass on not driving a comercial vehicle, you might be going to werner but once they pull up your MVR its going to waving red flags and your not going to be able to get around it.

Answer:
15 mph over the limit is not necessarily "reckless driving" in the state of Indiana. I was not charged with that nor was it ever mentioned by the officer. All I did was send in my fine via mail and that was it. I checked with Werner on this offense and they said it was "no big deal."
In this state you have to exceed the speed limit by 25 mph before it constitutes a reckless driving charge. I would think that is pretty much the same in other states as well. I'm speaking of your own personal vehicle; not a commercial vehichle here.
[This message was edited by charliedog on August 22, 2003 at 17:42.]

Answer:
Ok if you got this in your personel vehicle then I can see how the would let that pass, but if it was in CMV then its either you spend what ever you have to todo to get it off your license or you get a free 5year week going back to flipping burgers. But if you ever did say move to another state that ticket depending on the code that is put in might come back as a reckless,

Answer:
But I can promise you one thing. One more like that in your car, or in a CMV and no one will.
No one is perfect. Everyone screws the pooch once in a while. The point we are all trying to get across to you is that you need to take your foot out of it and slow down, especially now that you are or will soon become a CDL holder.
As a CDL holder the rules change, and the implications are greater than that of someone holding a standard liscence.
Another point we are all trying to get across to you is that the insurance companies make policy, by setting premium rates, on who is hirable and who is not, and while a violation may not automatically warrent a reckless driving conviction by the law, the insurance comapnies may still view it as such.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
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Answer:
Gone are the days of being a trucker and getting a CDL from several different states, racking up tickets and points on each one, and keeping the license from your home state clean so you can apply for jobs. There was a day when that was common practice, but no more. The Federal Government and insurance companies put a stop to this after drivers started getting away with all sorts of things that were not reported from state to state. Now, it is Federal law that one person cannot have more than one commercial driver's license, and not only that, any driver holding a CDL has stricter penalties than anyone with a non-commercial operator's license.
That being said, commercial driving today is far different from the way it was just a decade or two ago. That license is your livelihood, as is your clean MVR. It will mean the difference between getting hired for jobs and being out of work entirely, looking for a new profession.
Trucking is no place for a leadfoot driving 80,000 pounds of equipment and load. You'll see them out there, but they won't get away with it for long. You literally have 50 states worth of laws to familiarize yourself with when you drive OTR, and breaking any of them will cause problems with your employer, your MVR, and future employers. You don't know the laws, you say? Well, before you get driving, you'd better learn them and follow them, and keep up-to-date books with them along at all times.
I am not trying to scare you or sound harsh, but trucking is very regulated and screw-ups are not tolerated. It is hard to live with sometimes, but it is true. So if you think you are going to become a trucker because you don't like to follow rules and want to be "your own boss" far away from where regulations and your past driving record are important, think again.
Charliedog, all I can say is get out there, learn all you can, and be the best driver you possibly can. There is a company willing to give you a chance, so take advantage of it if you feel trucking is for you.

Answer:
Thanks guys for your input here. I appreciate it. Just for the record though, I'm not a "leadfoot." In the last 20 years of driving I have received 2 speeding tickets. It just so happens that my "15 over the limit" was a year and a half ago. I can assure you that was just an abnormality.

Answer:
I never understood why drivers just can't drive the posted speed? I used to drive a 75 mph truck. But it didn't see it until I got to Nebraska. I drive along doing the speed limit and I get yelled at for passing a slower car? Because the driver behind me can't give me the time I need to get around the slower car. It's not like I was cruising in the overtaking lane or anything. Plan your trips. Keep the left door shut. And you will get there. And probably alive if not on time. Why speed. I hate getting tickets. Now if I could just keep my log book up to date I would have it made.

Answer:
"Doctor, it hurts when i do this"
"So don't do that!"
" I hate getting speeding tickets."
"So don't speed."
Same difference.
@#*!%$^@!
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