For a CDL holder, one ticket can put your job at risk. The rules that protect ordinary drivers do not fully protect you, and the tools that keep tickets off a regular record are off-limits to you. If you got a ticket in LaPlace while holding a CDL, do not just pay it. Talk to us first.
The I-10 and I-55 interchange at LaPlace is one of the busiest trucking corridors in Louisiana, carrying freight between New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and points north. That also makes it one of the most heavily enforced. When Louisiana State Police Troop B or the St. John Parish Sheriff writes up a commercial driver here, the citation goes to the 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard, and the stakes are completely different from a four-wheeler getting the same ticket.
Your CDL is your livelihood. The Law Office of Heather C. Ford fights CDL traffic tickets across St. John Parish with that reality front and center.
Two things make a CDL ticket dangerous. First, federal rules under 49 CFR 383.51 disqualify commercial drivers who rack up violations. Second, Louisiana law bars the very tools that keep tickets off a normal driver’s record.
Federal law prohibits states from masking a CDL holder’s conviction. That means the Article 894 deferral a regular driver uses to keep a ticket off their record is not available to you. Traffic school will not hide it either. The only reliable way to protect your CDL is to keep the conviction from happening, which is where a defense actually matters.
Federal law sorts CDL violations into two buckets, and the disqualification depends on which bucket and how many. The table below summarizes the federal rules.
| Category | Examples | Disqualification |
|---|---|---|
| Serious violations | Speeding 15+ mph over, reckless driving, improper or erratic lane changes, following too closely, texting or handheld phone use, driving a CMV without the proper CDL. | Two within 3 years: 60-day disqualification. Three within 3 years: 120-day disqualification. |
| Major violations | DWI or DUI, refusing a chemical test, leaving the scene, using a CMV to commit a felony, causing a fatality through negligent driving. | First offense: at least a 1-year disqualification (3 years if hazmat). Second: lifetime disqualification. |
A DWI in LaPlace is not just a criminal case for a CDL holder, it is a major violation and a career threat. See CDL suspension after a DUI.
A common and costly myth is that only tickets in the truck matter. Major violations count against your CDL no matter what you were driving, and your convictions feed the CSA and CDLIS systems that employers and insurers watch nationwide. If you hold a CDL, every ticket you get in LaPlace is worth taking seriously, including the one you got on the way home in your own car. See how a speeding ticket affects your CDL and whether a personal-car ticket can affect your CDL in Louisiana.
Every conviction reported on your commercial record flows into the federal Commercial Driver’s License Information System and, for carriers, the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program. Employers pull these. A pattern of convictions can raise your carrier’s inspection rate, cost you a driving job, and follow you from one employer to the next long after the fine is paid. That is why a single LaPlace ticket is worth fighting, not just paying.
We fight to keep the conviction off your record in the first place, because for a CDL holder that is the only outcome that fully protects you. Depending on the citation we work to get the charge dismissed, or reduced below the serious-violation threshold, we scrutinize how your speed was measured, and we handle the Edgard court dates so you can stay on the road. If your CDL is already facing suspension, we move fast.
The first moves matter, because paying the ticket is the one thing you cannot undo.
Many CDL drivers ticketed on the LaPlace interstate corridor are from out of state, hauling through the region. You do not have to come back to Louisiana. We can appear for you at the 40th JDC so you keep rolling.
Send us the ticket for a free consultation before you do anything else. You can also read more about CDL traffic ticket defense and how a speeding ticket can affect your CDL in Louisiana.
Between myself and my family, we keep Heather busy! She is very professional and knowledgeable. I have spent a lot of money and ruined my driving record paying off speeding tickets but when I found Heather, I found that she is the best
My experience with the Law Office of Heather C. Ford was outstanding. I would recommend this team to anyone that has received a traffic ticket in the metro New Orleans area....
I found Heather online after searching for a traffic lawyer. Since I am not from the area, I was not 100% sure but went with my gut after reading the positive comments. And I was right! I am really pleased with Heather Ford's...
I was thrilled when Heather was able to get my ticket reduced to a non-moving violation and the judge waived fees. I never thought that was possible. I was certain I'd have to pay something. She's great...
Ms. Ford is all that I could ask for in an advocate.
My experience has been as pleasurable as can be expected when you need a lawyer.
No. Federal law prohibits masking a CDL holder’s conviction, so Louisiana’s Article 894 deferral and traffic school will not keep the ticket off your commercial record. That is exactly why fighting the charge on the merits matters so much for CDL holders.
It can. Major violations count against your CDL regardless of what you were driving, and your record feeds the systems employers and insurers monitor. Do not assume a personal-car ticket is harmless.
Under 49 CFR 383.51, two serious violations in three years is a 60-day disqualification and three is 120 days. A single major violation like DWI is at least a one-year disqualification. The math adds up fast, so the first ticket is the one to fight.
Company counsel represents the company, not you, and your interests are not always the same. When your CDL and your income are on the line, you want someone representing you directly.
Yes. Officers are not CDL compliance experts, and what looks minor for a regular driver can be a serious violation for you. Have it reviewed before you pay.
In most cases, no. We appear at the 40th JDC on your behalf so you can keep driving.
