Tag: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

NFG! Court Dismisses Log Book Violation Against CDL Driver

Another CDL ticket trial, another NFG verdict for the driver! Our client was charged with log book violations for not having a few records of duty status in his possession.  He was on the road only two days that month when stopped by the Iowa DOT enforcement officer.  And the truck was not equipped with an ELD. We argued successfully that our client was at most an intermittent driver.  Without proof that his motor carrier required him to maintain paper records, the court dismissed the charge at the State’s cost. Because there was no conviction, the driver will not be […]

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Don’t Pay an Overweight Truck Ticket Without First Consulting GRL

The CDL traffic ticket defense lawyers at GRL Law represent local and out-of-state drivers, trucking companies and owner-operators cited with overweight violations throughout the State of Iowa. When it comes to overweight axle or gross weight violations, you should always remember this Murphy’s Law:  Don’t pay the ticket without consulting GRL first. Overweight fines for single or tandem axles and gross weight violations are thousands of dollars per ticket.  Unpaid fines will result in the loss of your CDL privileges. If you simply pay the fine, then you waive your right to a jury trial and the matter is reported […]

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CDL Disqualification for Moving Violations

The Iowa DOT will disqualify your CDL if you are convicted of certain moving violations.  These include: Operating a CMV upon a highway without a CDL or commercial learner’s permit Operating a CMV upon a highway without the proper class of CDL, commercial learner’s permit for the specific vehicle group or for the passengers or type of cargo being transported Speeding 15 mph or more over the legal speed limit Reckless driving Any violation of the traffic laws, except a parking or vehicle weight violation, which arises in connection with a fatal traffic accident Following another motor vehicle too closely […]

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Consequences of Marijuana Possession in a Commercial Motor Vehicle

The drug defense attorneys at GRL have blogged before on the pitfalls of being stopped by police with marijuana in your personal vehicle.  Fortunately, Iowa no longer suspends your driving privileges for drug convictions. Does this mean you can keep personal use quantities in the sleeper area of a semi truck? In a word, no.  Not unless, of course, you are looking to have your CDL privileges disqualified for six months. That’s right. You will lose your privilege to drive a commercial motor vehicle if convicted of most simple possession offenses.   Marijuana, amphetamines or any narcotic drug will do the […]

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GRL Saves CDL with DOT WIN

The drug defense attorneys at GRL Law prove once again that preparation is everything when it comes to implied consent testing and DOT administrative hearings.  This is especially true when it involves professional CDL drivers and forensic drug testing. In this case, a DOT officer assigned to an I-35 weigh station in North Iowa believed he had reasonable grounds to invoke implied consent and request a urine sample under Iowa Code section 321J.6 based on the discovery of a small amount of marijuana and an admission to smoking the previous evening.  When the sample came back positive for non-impairing metabolites […]

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