Ticket For Driving On Left Lane(1 Of 3), California.

I was driving on the right lane and entering the left passing lane as needed when I came up on a truck that had his signal on to merge from the passing lane to the right lane. I saw none of the trucks slowing down to let him merge so when my turn came up, I slowly decelerated and signaled he could enter. At this point, I notice our speed was around 48mph on a 55 with car speed at 70. I stayed in that position waiting as his signal stayed on but he did not merge. After some time, I decided to accelerate and at that point, as I was clearly gaining on him, he decided to merge in. I wasn't sure what was going on but I figured maybe he is just new. I stayed behind him for some time in an attempt to see whether he would continue to drive slow, which he did. After some time, I saw an opportunity to enter the passing lane. I signaled in and started to pass when he then merged in front of me. I'm still not thinking much of it until I see he isn't speeding up. I waited but was adding to the congestion going so slow in the passing lane. After I returned to the right lane, I gave it some more miles but was pushed back because of the merging on onramps. I try to slow down for that traffic even tho it's my understanding they should adjust to me because there have already been multiple times they don't and I'm stuck in a really hard place. People talking on the phone and not even looking at there mirror to see me or just not caring...

I came up on the truck once again and saw multiple trucks pass him on the left. When I saw it was clear, I signaled and got behind a truck that was passing him. Just as my hood gets close to his trailer tail, he merges into the passing lane. Now I'm starting to think he is doing this on purpose as I see plenty of room building in front of him but he is still going below 55 on the passing lane. As I prepare to move back right to avoid staying in the passing lane, I see it's clear to my left. I entered the lane and hit 62 on my cruse control. After I finished the pass and move to the middle lane, I'm about to signal to go back to the right lane when I see police lights behind me. I come to a stop thinking he is going to ticket me for going 62. He came up to the door and told me, one, going on that lane is an automatic stop and two, I was going 68. I informed him my truck is governed at 62 but he assured me I was doing 68. I tried to explain why I entered that lane and that my cruse control said 62 but he said he wasn't pulling me over for the speed anyways but because I entered the left most lane in a 3 lane freeway and caused congestion. He said the truck beside me was going 65 , after I keep failing to clearly explain everything that happened(nervous). He went to his car with all my info.

The officer came back and gave me a ticket for "failure to drive on right lane" with an approximate speed listed at 68. What options do you guys think I have, I pay out of my check for legal assistance if I'm every given a ticket but would getting a lawyer help my case? I was on the left most lane, that's without question. My truck also had a sticker on it that said you can press the throttle peddle twice to hit 68 but I've tried that multiple times when in places like NM and it doesn't do anything. I have however notice the truck sometimes hits 65 even when the cruse control says 62 if I'm holding the peddle down? If I was truly going 68 and he speed up to 65 after going below 55, it seems he truly was doing this on purpose but now I have a ticket in a commercial vehicle...

You went into the #1 lane. Your ticket is for entering the #1 lane. The speed you were traveling is irrelevant. The speed and actions of other vehicles on the highway is also irreleveant. The #1 lane in California, when there are more than two lanes on a highway or interstate , is forbidden (unless it is required) to commercial vehicles. You should fight it tooth and nail to protect your license, but let go of the congestion and speed nonsense, this will not excuse your action. See if you can plead it down to something else, though that seems unlikely as you are either in the lane or not.

I agree with Michael that you should try fighting it. But don't let it stress you out too much. One ticket isn't going to do any damage other than to your pocketbook for the fine. If it doesn't get reduced to a non-moving violation then you're going to get some sort of points on your license. That's not the end of the world by any means.

One time I was in California on a four lane highway. As always, trucks are supposed to stay in the right lane and aren't allowed in the left lane. Well I see up ahead that a cop has someone pulled over on my side. There wasn't anyone else around me so as I got near the officer I moved over into the left lane to give him some room. He got out of his car and started waving furiously at me to get over into the right lane. He didn't chase me down or anything but I was like geez, you can't win around here. If I would have stayed in the right hand lane and buzzed him from 18 inches away I could have hurt him or even killed him, not to mention it's also a law that you have to move over for any emergency vehicles on the shoulder. So I try to be a nice guy and do the right thing by moving over and giving him space and he starts freakin out on me.

Oh well, that's truckin' sometimes.

Don't let it stress you. Try to fight the ticket but otherwise put it out of your mind and focus on driving safely. All too often we get upset about something, we let it distract us from the task at hand, and we wind up making even more mistakes. So just don't sweat it.

Yup the one ticket won't kill you or your record. I'm not sure how cali courts work but you could try to fight it and hope the cop doesnt show up, up here anyway that's an automatic win. If he does show up you or your lawyer would probably ensue in a he/she said if neither you or the cop have any video evidence, which the cop may have. Even if not, generally speaking the judge usually sides with the cop unless you have some sort of proof to dispute it. guilty until proven innocent right. I mean...wait.........hmm

It might matter if it was a regular police officer or if it was DOT. I wouldn't bother trying to fight a ticket written by DOT but that's me. Of course, my best advice is that if you are interested in fighting the ticket, seek legal counsel.

Thanks for taking the time to reply mates.

I just called the legal service after I faxed them my ticket and they will see if someone takes my case. I don't expect much given, like Michael says, I was either in the lane or not. However, if no one takes my case, I'll feel fairly bad given it was my understanding they *will defend you when you get a ticket, not *might...

Thanks Brett for helping me out a bit with the stress but I really wanted a clean record. I should have just stopped at the next truckstop exit for my 30...

It was a CHP officer Kemo? I'm just hoping for a break at this point, I wouldn't tell the judge it went down any other way then the truth...

City Highway Patrol? For me city cop or trooper vs DOT could mean the difference in likely-hood of being able to fight a ticket and winning, up here anyway. I would imagine fighting anything in Cali just based on what I've heard would be hard. I could be wrong. Good luck on the legal service, hopefully they get back to you pretty quick.

City Highway Patrol? For me city cop or trooper vs DOT could mean the difference in likely-hood of being able to fight a ticket and winning, up here anyway. I would imagine fighting anything in Cali just based on what I've heard would be hard. I could be wrong. Good luck on the legal service, hopefully they get back to you pretty quick.

*California* Highway Patrol. In other words, DOT.

CHP: California Highway Patrol.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure how to answer your question. Aren't all CHP officers DOT enforcers?

City Highway Patrol? For me city cop or trooper vs DOT could mean the difference in likely-hood of being able to fight a ticket and winning, up here anyway. I would imagine fighting anything in Cali just based on what I've heard would be hard. I could be wrong. Good luck on the legal service, hopefully they get back to you pretty quick.

Also I've gotten a few different tickets but all were privy to my CDL , I paid all of them except for a fix-it-ticket. I honestly just kinda go, welp...yup...i did that...you got me, and pay it. It is different to me if I was ticketed for something I didn't actually do. Even when I was seriously verbally harassed when I got pulled over by an undercover State Trooper inside of town (not his jurisdiction and was supposedly an undercover drug enforcement type), city police wrote me the ticket which I could hear them conversing about how I don't know that the police officer who witnessed "you" commit an offense must write you the ticket, at least at the time before video equipment was mounted on cruisers. 6 city police cruisers showed up. So city police wrote me the ticket which I paid because it was "an improper turn" ticket which really, I was going to make an improper turn almost causing an accident. Which I actually ended up correcting to avoid an accident with said undercover drug trooper man who wanted to flaunt his authority and unleash his anger on me in front of his supposed undercover partner state trooper. Which I crap you not, looked like he weighed close to 400 lbs (this was, 7 years ago?). His vehicle did was not equipped with any lighting to pull me over and he had civilian clothing. Just tried to show me his badge pressed up against his driver window while revving his engine and honking his horn. OFC I called the local authorities! But I digress.

I included the fact that I paid the ticket I was written in the complaint form along with knowing that city police would have an audio recording of this guy because I called them before he got to my window. To me it wasn't about the ticket that time.

Hah sorry....I'm in Alaska. So some of the terminology commonly used like CHP I don't know about.