Got pulled over - Looking for help!!

[ucantcme]

Alright, as the topic title says...I was pulled over yesterday. The story is this:

I was delivering some goods to Detroit in a big box truck (U-Haul size). As I am driving in a 55mph freeway zone, I decide to go a little over (~60mph) and I start to pass this car. I switch lanes to go into the left lane and out of no where, a state policemen pulls up behind me - Lights on, Siren..Everything. I pull over, he tells me that I am not supposed to be in the left lane ( ) and that I was speeding. I give him my license and everything. He's in his car for about 10mins and comes back out with a ticket.

Ticket has the following charges:

Speeding (60/55)
Operating box truck in left lane

The whole thing about this, I am supposed to have a Chauffeurs license to drive this kind of vehicle (I didn't know that!). He told me he could have impounded the vehicle, but he didn't want to.

Today, I drive to the Michigan S.O.S and apply for a Chauffeurs license, take the test - pass. I am now in the process of receiving my new license in the mail within 2wks. I want to fight this ticket in court! My only defense is against the "Operating box truck in left lane."

If I go to court, and tell the judge I was in the process of passing another vehicle, didn't have any clue I wasn't supposed to be in the left lane, and then apologize because now I have my chauffeurs that I know the rules of operating a box truck and maybe the judge will be a little lenient and drop that charge ($116!!).

What do you guys think???

Any help regarding this issue would be much appreciated!!

[fastmdpt]

Depends on the judge,,, most will adopt the "ignorance of the law is no excuse"

Tom

[quicksilverdon]

Laws vary from state to state - in Joisey, they have signs - no trucks in left lane, or no trucks or buses in left lane. I think if they don't post it, they can.

Also, 60 in a 55!?! If you were realy only doing 60 that's pretty crappy. Most cops don't bother folks unless they are 10 over the limit - then they might cut you a break and write the icket for slower than you were really going, but if you were really only doing 60, that's lame.

Unfortunately, it's all about revenue. tickets = revenue.

[prettybluewoody]

Here in ol' Virginny, they'll post "no commercial vehicles or trucks except buses" for the left lane of any four-or-more-lanes highway........ not that I've ever actually SEEN anybody get pulled over for this, and I HAVE seen a lot of violations. (And if you try to keep to the speed limit on the Beltway around DC, you're in danger of getting run over!)

[CREWZIN]

Ron,

If you have the time, go to court ....if your driving license is clean. The Judge will look it up and the cleaner it is the better off you are. 60 in a 55 is BS and the State Trooper was just adding insult to in injury. A lot of the troopers here add a second citation because a lot of folks go to court and talk their way out of a ticket but probably not out of two offenses. As fastmdpt already said, pleading ignorance doesn't cut it. Apologize for what you did, show the judge your new chauffeurs license, tell him about your clean record (if you have one and even though he'll have the information in front of him) and say you were just keeping up with the flow of traffic.

Good luck.

[ucantcme]

My record is all not that clean. 2 prior tickets, 1 for 10 over, the other for 5 over, and this is my 3rd ticket for 5 over.

Plus, on the ticket it says:

"MCL Cite/PACC Coder Ordinance"
(In the box next to the Operating truck in left lane) ".634(3)"


Please don't tell me that (3) means 3 points!

I think I will go in there and fight it, just because. What if he doesn't show up?!?! It gets wiped off!

[Hooligan]

I've driven in the Detroit area and surrounding areas and found that NO ONE drives the speed limit!!! Good, bad or indifferent it is the law. I find that the 5 over is lame, but with your history maybe not. The SP can access your record in the car.

[Mean Green]

Sorry, but here in Oregon, I get so sick of box trucks, semis, flatbeds, etc driving in the left lane on the freeway that it is refreshing to see a cop give a ticket for that.

[ucantcme]

Originally Posted by Mean Green

Sorry, but here in Oregon, I get so sick of box trucks, semis, flatbeds, etc driving in the left lane on the freeway that it is refreshing to see a cop give a ticket for that.

Yeah, me too. When driving down the interstate and there is a slower moving vehicle in front of me - I get pissed. I was in the left lane because people were merging in from the right, slow ass people in the middle lane, and I wasn't going to go 45mph behind someone. Left lane was WIDE OPEN so I took it, as soon as I was going to make the change to the middle lane again, he got me.

I think I will take a trip down M-10 to see if there are ANY signs saying "Trucks use right 2 lanes" or something of the sort.

Hooligan - Your right. No one does the speed limit and thats why the legislature is thinking of raising the speed limit

[ucantcme]

Went to Lodge Fwy (M-10) earlier, and saw NO SIGNS that say "Trucks use right 2 lanes" or anything of that sort. This a good defense??