After 4 Years I Finally Got My First Ticket

Well y’all it finally happened. 4 years driving a truck in places and scenarios I could only imagine all around southern WV, I got pulled over and issued 2 tickets within 10 miles of my hometown. They’re demolishing an old wash plant just a few miles down the road from my house and they still had around 800 tons of coal they wanted to ship out. Naturally, since I’m so close and keep my truck at home, the boss put me on it along with a few of my buddies. The first few days went wonderful. It was an easy trip we could turn in roughy 2 hours and the pay was excellent. Yesterday, I had just gotten under way and settled back for my last load of the day. About 10 miles from the loading spot I saw blue lights flashing. Pulled over, exchanged pleasantries with the officer, handed over all my paperwork(truck and trailer registration, license, insurance, and CRTS overweight permit), he checked all my lights and tires and went back to the car. Now usually when we get loaded, the loader operator gives us a little ticket that looks much like a gas pump receipt that states the coal company name, our truck number and driver name, how much weight they loaded on us (according to the usually very inaccurate loader bucket scales) and a ticket number. On this particular haul, the mining company told our boss since they were shipping less than 100 loads, no ticket was required and I relayed this to the officer. About an hour later he walks up to the door and says he’s issuing me 2 tickets but they were actually fining the company and not me personally although he had to put my name on the tickets.

This is what he hit me with:

No Bill of Lading (he said this is what took the him so long, apparently the 100 load law was actually changed the first of this year)

Unsecured Load (the loader operator apparently got just a couple tiny clumps of coal on the top of my passenger side bed rail and the tarp didn’t cover them, not really anything I could have done about that one personally, there’s nowhere to stop and check everything out aside from a narrow emergency lane until about 18 miles from where we were loaded)

Now I tell you all this to ask a question. The company is absolutely covering the tickets, by them “admitting guilt and paying the fines”, will this affect my personal dmv driving record and insurance costs since technically the tickets are in my name?

I think the only thing it will appear on his your psp report. And it will say on there if the violation went to you or the company. It won’t be on your mvr or do anything to insurance costs.

Yeah I just double checked a copy that o have of my psp. It will either show up as a driver violation or vehicle violation. So I’m your case it will be a vehicle violation if in fact that is the case.

Hi Minnis

Yeah, this will be in your pap. So on the off chance you're applying for a job in the next couple years make sure you disclose this.

Should not raise your rates as far as I can tell they only really care about moving violations and things on your mvr.

You should always have bills of ladings. Even if it's scrawled out on a piece of paper by hand. I always carry blank ones but so far never had to use them.

So I guess we know who reallg wants to know everything about what we are doing. BIG U.S. Corporate. Leave it to them to make things difficult.

Hi Minnis

Yeah, this will be in your pap. So on the off chance you're applying for a job in the next couple years make sure you disclose this.

Should not raise your rates as far as I can tell they only really care about moving violations and things on your mvr.

You should always have bills of ladings. Even if it's scrawled out on a piece of paper by hand. I always carry blank ones but so far never had to use them.

Where in wva? I lived in Slaty Fork. Population 56. Up in the hills.

Where in wva? I lived in Slaty Fork. Population 56. Up in the hills.

Chapmanville in Logan county. About 4 hours from ya.

Sid and Bird, I appreciate the responses. Slightly less worried about it now.