"Obey The Sign Or Pay The Fine"

I remember a recent post where people were defending the "9 is fine 10 your mine" supposed buffer. My response was...there is no buffer. People above claiming its all about the money are mistaken. Its about safety. It probably costs the town money to write low violation speeding tickets. Most fines for speeding 1-10 the ticket is $30 bucks. However, if you fight it and go to court you could add $188.00. Add to that the cost your insurance will go up, and I don't really agree with the article I will link here, its for full coverage insurance, and you could end up paying something like $1800 for that speeding ticket in the long run. But that makes the insurance company money, so lets ignore that since the posts above are talking about the government making money by enforcing the speed limits.

So if you factor in wages and fuel and other costs for the officer, paperwork processing costs, equipment costs like computers and radar guns, they (the government) are losing money. If you go to court the money you spend there goes to paying the courts wages, processing, equipment, building and utility costs and etc. So just how much do you really think they are making off a speeding ticket and what do they do with that money?

The reason they enforce speed limits does have to do with money, but not in the way you think. When speed limits are not enforced, people tend to speed more and more. And then you get accidents. Accidents are what really costs the city government a lot. You have police response, fire department response, DOT response for signs and such, ambulance response, towing and clean up. So its not speeding tickets that make money, its speed limit enforcement that saves money. Its about keeping people safe and keeping traffic moving. How many traffic jams are caused by speed related accidents? My guess is its quite a lot, perhaps 90%.

So personally I like speed enforcement. We are professional drivers, we (should) obey all traffic signs and laws. We should realize that safety is the number one priority. We should plan our trips so we don't have to speed. IF you drive 500 miles at the speed limit of 65 it takes you about 7.7 hours. IF you speed and go 70mph the same 500 miles takes you 7.15 hours. So by taking unnecessary risk and speeding, you save half an hour. Half an hour at 65mph is 32.5 miles. Say you make $.40 per mile. $.40 x 32.5 = $13.00. So by speeding and taking all the risks associated with it you make an extra $13 that day. For me that is simply not worth the increased risk that comes with increased speed. More accidents = more rules and regulations, like we don't have enough already. It also costs more fuel to go that 5mph faster, so you lose your fuel economy bonus.

So My opinion, and that's all it is just like everyone else posting here, is that speeding, especially in your semi, is a lose lose lose situation. The risks and negative factors far outweigh the $13 you might make, and your driving record will be permanently affected, which affect your hire-ability, your insurance, your reputation, all of that. IS it really worth it? In my mind, no, no its not.

Phil

Phil, I completely understand your point. Speeding is unnecessary and dangerous. BUT...... 1 or 2 MPH over the limit is simply a money grab. There is no such thing as a $30.00 speeding ticket in Arizona where I live. $250.00 and up. If a State or Municipality is going to state a zero tolerance policy on speeding, even 66 in a 65, that is a money grab pure and simple. If you try to go to court and fight it, with that policy in place, the Judge will slap you down. Points on your license, big fine, done. I'm Sorry, that is just not right. My RANT is over, you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Early in the week, I ran north thru Charlotte, up to I-40, and then west to Knoxville. There were Smokey's around nearly every turn until I got to the Tennessee line.

I ran back down to South Carolina, dropped a load, picked up another, and headed back thru North Carolina again this morning. Didn't see a single Smokey in North Carolina, but I passed a level 3 on I-40 around 10am. The only thing they checked on my truck were my elogs , and licensing on tractor and trailer. They wanted to see the previous 8 days on the Qualcomm , as well as the time I had left on my 70 and 14. Never asked to see my load tab info.

My guess is, they are getting an early start this year in every state.

Not only should you watch your speed, make sure all your licensing and medical cards are current, and should you find anything that needs fixing during your pre trip, ask your company to send someone out on a road cal,l to fix it on location.

Right now is not the time to be running a couple loads with a minor issue, until it is convenient to get by a company terminal to save the company a few bucks.

I forgot to add, the level 3 inspection I got was in Tennessee, about an hour and a half east of Nashville.

I forgot to add, the level 3 inspection I got was in Tennessee, about an hour and a half east of Nashville.

Is that what was going on in those old weigh stations? The had one at the 250 east bound and another at the 325 west bound this afternoon when I came east on I40.

I forgot to add, the level 3 inspection I got was in Tennessee, about an hour and a half east of Nashville.

Is that what was going on in those old weigh stations? The had one at the 250 east bound and another at the 325 west bound this afternoon when I came east on I40.

Chris, yes! They were somewhat hidden back inside the tree line. He asked me a lot of questions about what I was hauling, where I picked up, and where I was delivering, after he got my bills in his hand. I told him my trailer wasn't sealed, and that I would be happy to remove the lock, and let him look inside. That seemed to satisfy his curiosity, and he never asked me to remove the lock.

IMO, this won't last because the courts will be too overwhelmed to handle the amounts of tickets this threatens to be. Sounds good on paper and in the media, but realistically there's no way to enforce it.

You just keep telling yourself that.

And with a CDL - there's no "driving school election". You beat it - or you EAT IT.

This is all about REVENUE.

Courts get a piece, county/municipality gets a piece, the state gets a piece.

In Florida - they (by law) don't write you for up to 5 over - except for school zones.

It's called a speed LIMIT - not a "suggested speed".

Rick

Not exactly true, most Prima Facie speed limits, not maximum speed limits, are based upon average conditions but not set in stone. When they are enforced, the officer has to show what is unsafe, ie: traffic, parked cars etc...anything that could suggest going to fast would be dangerous. It's not too difficult to do, but there are times when that "Limit" can legally be exceeded. However, if you don't have a legal background, or at least a law enforcement one, I wouldn't suggest pushing your luck! You will likely not prevail simply because you don't understand the legislative intent behind the law and won't know how to present your argument in court. The more pressing point is that, the way our legal system works is there has to be a tolerance for legal limits simply because the measuring equipment we use has it's own limitations. Your speedometer is only required to be so accurate by federal law. The commonly accepted limit by most courts is about 3 mph. If a court were to enforce speed violations at 1 or 2 over, it would only be a matter of time before the conviction was challenged in a higher court, up to the US Supreme court if an attorney could show enough impact on society to warrant a review by the justices there. It would be a while and the odds of your 2mph over speeding ticket being the one to go is probably slim, but eventually it would be corrected. 9mph over would never fly as a mechanical error. That number could only be a common practice started by local law enforcement in an effort to be "reasonable" to their community. Don't be surprised if at some point in the future, you see a higher court overturning all minor speeding violations dating back to a certain date. It happens all the time when cities decide to go anal on something.

WHOA, DUTCH!!

When you mentioned "medical card", I realized that mine was in a box of old paperwork that I had removed from the truck! Fortunately, I am home today, and the card it now in my purse.

You may have saved my butt big time! THANKS!!

I remember a recent post where people were defending the "9 is fine 10 your mine" supposed buffer. My response was...there is no buffer. People above claiming its all about the money are mistaken. Its about safety. It probably costs the town money to write low violation speeding tickets. Most fines for speeding 1-10 the ticket is $30 bucks. However, if you fight it and go to court you could add $188.00. Add to that the cost your insurance will go up, and I don't really agree with the article I will link here, its for full coverage insurance, and you could end up paying something like $1800 for that speeding ticket in the long run. But that makes the insurance company money, so lets ignore that since the posts above are talking about the government making money by enforcing the speed limits.

So if you factor in wages and fuel and other costs for the officer, paperwork processing costs, equipment costs like computers and radar guns, they (the government) are losing money. If you go to court the money you spend there goes to paying the courts wages, processing, equipment, building and utility costs and etc. So just how much do you really think they are making off a speeding ticket and what do they do with that money?

The reason they enforce speed limits does have to do with money, but not in the way you think. When speed limits are not enforced, people tend to speed more and more. And then you get accidents. Accidents are what really costs the city government a lot. You have police response, fire department response, DOT response for signs and such, ambulance response, towing and clean up. So its not speeding tickets that make money, its speed limit enforcement that saves money. Its about keeping people safe and keeping traffic moving. How many traffic jams are caused by speed related accidents? My guess is its quite a lot, perhaps 90%.

So personally I like speed enforcement. We are professional drivers, we (should) obey all traffic signs and laws. We should realize that safety is the number one priority. We should plan our trips so we don't have to speed. IF you drive 500 miles at the speed limit of 65 it takes you about 7.7 hours. IF you speed and go 70mph the same 500 miles takes you 7.15 hours. So by taking unnecessary risk and speeding, you save half an hour. Half an hour at 65mph is 32.5 miles. Say you make $.40 per mile. $.40 x 32.5 = $13.00. So by speeding and taking all the risks associated with it you make an extra $13 that day. For me that is simply not worth the increased risk that comes with increased speed. More accidents = more rules and regulations, like we don't have enough already. It also costs more fuel to go that 5mph faster, so you lose your fuel economy bonus.

So My opinion, and that's all it is just like everyone else posting here, is that speeding, especially in your semi, is a lose lose lose situation. The risks and negative factors far outweigh the $13 you might make, and your driving record will be permanently affected, which affect your hire-ability, your insurance, your reputation, all of that. IS it really worth it? In my mind, no, no its not.

Phil

Phil, I completely understand your point. Speeding is unnecessary and dangerous. BUT...... 1 or 2 MPH over the limit is simply a money grab. There is no such thing as a $30.00 speeding ticket in Arizona where I live. $250.00 and up. If a State or Municipality is going to state a zero tolerance policy on speeding, even 66 in a 65, that is a money grab pure and simple. If you try to go to court and fight it, with that policy in place, the Judge will slap you down. Points on your license, big fine, done. I'm Sorry, that is just not right. My RANT is over, you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Actually in Arizona, where I am from, 1-10 mph is only a $15 fine, over 10mph over the limit is the $250 fine. Since we were talking about the 1-10mph fine my previous statement stands as true.

WHOA, DUTCH!!

When you mentioned "medical card", I realized that mine was in a box of old paperwork that I had removed from the truck! Fortunately, I am home today, and the card it now in my purse.

You may have saved my butt big time! THANKS!!

"As of January 30, 2015, Class A, B, or C commercial drivers which certify as “non-exempted interstate” drivers are no longer required to carry their Medical Examiner Certificate in their possession."

IMO, this won't last because the courts will be too overwhelmed to handle the amounts of tickets this threatens to be. Sounds good on paper and in the media, but realistically there's no way to enforce it.

You just keep telling yourself that.

And with a CDL - there's no "driving school election". You beat it - or you EAT IT.

This is all about REVENUE.

Courts get a piece, county/municipality gets a piece, the state gets a piece.

In Florida - they (by law) don't write you for up to 5 over - except for school zones.

It's called a speed LIMIT - not a "suggested speed".

Rick

I was not defending speeding, Rick. Obviously it's not a suggestion. DUH!