Q: How to contest or reduce a $86 improper turn fine on CDL in NJ?
I unintentionally made an improper turn because I didn't see the sign while driving with my CDL license. There were some minor incidents involved. I haven't appealed the $86 fine yet, but I'm hoping to reduce it. This occurred in New Jersey. What steps can I take to contest the fine or lessen its impact on my CDL license?
A: You can contest a ticket two ways. 1) Do it yourself: Call the court and tell them you would like to plead not guilty and wish to have a trial or 2) you can hire a lawyer to do this for you and your lawyer will conduct the trial with you in your presence at court. Remember a good lawyer knows the defenses to each type of ticket, and more importantly the defenses that work. Lastly please note when you request to plead not guilty and have a court date generally you will pay a higher fine to the court and court costs, but still this is a lot cheaper then the points on the ticket as a good lawyer may be able to eliminate those points for you. For most people the smartest choice is to hire a good lawyer, because although a good lawyer is never cheap, it will be a lot cheaper then those points on your CDL license. Set up one of the free in office consultations that we offer.
A: Your location is shown as "NY". So I assume that you have a NY DL with a CDL enforcement on it. Your indication "while driving with my CDL license" is somehow confusing. Were you driving a personal vehicle with your license or were you driving a CV (truck) when this happened? If the former, you won't be probably negatively impacted other than some out of pocket money (assuming you won't contest the charge). If the latter, however, this can affect you CDL in NY since this type of violation (if convicted, of course) will be reported to the NY DMV possibly as a "serious" traffic offense if you were driving a CV with your CDL. I don't know your financial situation, but you shouldn't casually pay the fine online (which means a conviction). Depending on the township in NJ, you may be able to have the charge reduced to a minor violation which won't affect your license or CDL enforcement at all. You should consult with an attorney who will listen to you and provide relevant, meaningful advise. If the first question of the lawyer is your credit card information, hang up.
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