Seatbelt Tickets And Trucking

I know. Wear your seatbelt. I hope this post doesn't spark a big debate I'd rather hear whether or not I'd still be eligible for a trucking job from someone experienced. Much thanks in advance everyone here is great. Even the trolls are funny lol

I have no criminal record. Been working for a year and 9 months. I'm 26. Currently a catering delivery driver. I dream of getting into trucking. I got two seatbelt tickets the past three years and those along with two speeding in the past 5 years.. I am wondering if this will get in the way. One seatbelt ticket was received today. The other on October 2015. Live in MN. Would like to do anything but otr.

Also is it true you can take some type of driving safety course to get sentences reduced?

Milo are you sure you want to hear our thoughts?

You are currently paid to drive, which makes you a professional. Two tickets, same offense in less than two years. Is that professional conduct? I think you need to adjust your attitude if you intend to drive a class 8 truck. You cannot ignore the law and regs. Most are there for your safety and the safety of others.

Regardless of my opinion, most companies may require you to wait a while to prove you can protect your license.

When were the speeds - and how fast? You can see a ticket attorney and try to beat the ticket (like, as in the cop doesn't show) or reduce the offense to a non-conviction by opting for a traffic school. This assumes you do not hold a CDL already (for the traffic school option), since most states don't allow CDL holders to avoid conviction by doing a traffic school.

Probably not much in the way of local driving, out of MN. OTR might be your only option to start.

I used to HATE wearing a seat belt, now I put it on automatically when I start the vehicle - if for nothing else, to not hear the reminder beep - but also to keep from getting a ticket for not wearing one (as well as reducing possible injury in case of an accident).

You might have to wait at least a year in the event of a conviction for a citation - and the trucking industry takes wearing a seat belt pretty seriously too.

Rick

The speeding tickets were two weeks apart a little over 3 1/2 yrs ago. One was for 32 over and the other was for 15 over. I was younger and have matured much more. Today's seatbelt ticket was kind of a joke as I was just pulling out of the customers parking lot when I put the belt on when he caught me but it is what it is so I'll have to pay the consequences

Milo, those speeding tickets are going to really hurt you. They are considered as wreckless driving in the trucking industry due to being 15 over the limit. You may have to wait a few years and practice improving your driving record.

The speeding tickets were two weeks apart a little over 3 1/2 yrs ago. One was for 32 over and the other was for 15 over. I was younger and have matured much more. Today's seatbelt ticket was kind of a joke as I was just pulling out of the customers parking lot when I put the belt on when he caught me but it is what it is so I'll have to pay the consequences

The 32 & 15 over - are going to cause you way more headaches than the seatbelts.

You are probably going to end up waiting 5 years, post-speeding ticket(s), to be considered.

32 over is waaaaaay bad.

Rick

I understand the speeding tickets. Thanks for the heads up as I don't want to quit my current job only to be disappointed. I will just have to wait a bit longer.

But with the seatbelt issue. Does anyone know in what methods companies look at your criminal record? Because in mn these types of tickets don't go on your driving record they mostly just get stored in the mn court records. Not the bca or anything. Perhaps I just get my act together, wait a year or two and then apply without mentioning the seatbelt tickets?

I understand these are concerns but they're not all I have to offer a company.

The best way to get sent packing is to leave out some of your bad history. Don't even think about concealing the seat belt tickets. Trust me, you may not see it on your records, but these trucking companies have a long history of uncovering hidden sins.

Own your mistakes, take responsibility for your ways. It is the only path to success in this business.

And please, if you really want this, take these infractions seriously from this point forward. Protecting your license is critical to being a professional driver.

I understand these are concerns but they're not all I have to offer a company.

Milo, this is not a criticism, but I want you to understand something that is universal in this business. Every rookie coming in actually has nothing to offer. Each of us are huge risks and liabilities and only about three percent of us make it through our first year without some kind of accident that basically means we were not a profitable employee for that first year. The costs of bringing in newbies to the business is astronomical, but necessary.

Forget that whole idea that says you have some valuable things to offer. You are replaceable with a simple phone call in this profession. Now, after three or four years of proving yourself dependable, reliable, safe, and productive as a professional driver, the game changes. The problem is that very few folks ever manage to get to that point. Why do you think there is such demand for drivers?

I had a recent seatbelt ticket on my record when I began OTR. It caused no headaches for me and the company that hired me back then didn't seem to care all that much.

However, those speeding tickets are insane and the fact that you just got another seatbelt ticket shows you never learned your lesson.

Having said that, I highly doubt you matured as much as you claim to have and I hope you give yourself more time before moving on to 80,000lb trucks because I don't think you are truly ready for them.