Enforcement in Memphis has changed. Here's what that means for your license.
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What Changed
Commercial vehicle enforcement in Memphis is not what it was two years ago. A dedicated group of Memphis Police officers now works the eastern city limits along Interstate 40, and they are writing commercial citations at volume. Truckers coming into Memphis are being stopped in a place and at a rate that did not used to happen.
These officers are trained by national traffic enforcement authorities, and it shows in Memphis City Court. They know precisely what the city has to prove on a speeding case, and they put every element of it on the record themselves. Nothing gets left out. A CDL citation written by these officers is not going to fall apart on its own.
That is a genuinely new problem for commercial drivers. The old assumption — that a traffic case can be resolved by showing up and working something out — does not survive contact with a well-prepared officer and a citation that cannot be masked. These cases are won on cross-examination or they are not won.
Why Almost Nobody Knows This
This shift is not documented anywhere. It has not been announced, it has not been covered, and it does not appear in any bar publication. The only way to know about it is to have stood in Memphis City Court and tried a commercial citation against one of these officers.
Attorney Mitchell Wood has been trying them. Most attorneys who handle traffic tickets in Memphis have never been across from these officers as a witness on the stand. An attorney who has not tried one of these cases does not know the officers, does not know how they testify, and does not know what actually works against them.
Attorney Mitchell Wood handles CDL citations in Memphis City Court, Shelby County General Sessions, and the surrounding municipal and county courts. Call (901) 578-1515.
Your Attorney
Attorney · Tennessee Bar · Practicing Since 2012
Attorney Mitch Wood has practiced in Memphis and Shelby County courts for over a decade and is widely regarded by peers as one of the most experienced CDL ticket attorneys in Shelby County. He has tried hundreds of tickets in Memphis City courts and Shelby County General Sessions throughout his career — and he knows exactly what it takes to keep a ticket off your commercial record.
Mitch understands the federal regulations governing CDL drivers better than most attorneys in Memphis. He knows the CDLIS reporting requirements, the masking rules, and where prosecutors and courts get it wrong. When your job is on the line, that knowledge is the difference between keeping your CDL and losing your livelihood.
Common Questions
A dedicated group of Memphis Police officers works the eastern city limits along Interstate 40 and writes commercial vehicle citations at volume. Truckers entering Memphis on I-40 are being stopped in a place and at a rate that did not used to happen. If you were cited coming into the city on I-40, that is almost certainly where it happened.
Yes. Commercial vehicle enforcement in Memphis is not what it was two years ago. The officers now working commercial citations are trained by national traffic enforcement authorities, they know precisely what the city has to prove on a speeding case, and they place every element of it on the record themselves. A CDL citation written by these officers is not going to fall apart on its own, which means these cases are won on cross-examination or they are not won.
CDL is short for Commercial Driver's License. A CDL is required to operate a commercial vehicle or a passenger vehicle with 16 or more passengers. In Tennessee, a CDL license is a Class A, B, or C license.
A CDL driver faces harsher penalties than non-professional drivers for traffic tickets and other moving violations. A CDL driver is held to a higher standard because they are professional drivers and the potential damage a commercial vehicle can cause is greater. Also, the United States government, under Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, strictly prohibits local municipal and county prosecutors from "masking" CDL judgments. Therefore, the court cannot send CDL drivers to a defensive driving course as a means to get the case dismissed. Tennessee is required by federal law to connect to the Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) and the National Driver Register (NDR) to exchange information about CDL drivers, traffic convictions, and disqualifications.
It doesn't matter where you get your ticket. Federal regulations require all local governments to report. A state must check the CDLIS, NDR, and state of licensure before a CDL can be issued, renewed, upgraded, or transferred. Employers — including trucking companies — are authorized users of CDLIS data and have access to an employee's or applicant's driving record.
Yes. Tickets are a serious matter for all CDL drivers. Many employers will terminate employment if a CDL driver receives a ticket on their record. CDL insurance is costly, and insurance providers check CDL driving records quite regularly. Any ticket on that record will cause premiums to increase. Often police officers and prosecutors don't understand the law and the seriousness of the consequences CDL drivers face for violations.
Yes. Attorneys know your rights and know how to fight to keep points and reported incidents off your CDLIS record and NDR record. Most cases are won on technicalities. Our CDL ticket attorneys know the tips and tricks to give you every opportunity to prevent this ticket from appearing on your record.
Tickets dismissed with court costs are considered "masking" by the federal government and are required to be reported on your CDLIS record and NDR record — the same as if you were found guilty. There is a strong possibility that this ticket will still appear on your record. A dismissal with court costs is not a victory for a CDL driver. Call us before you accept any offer.
Yes. CDL drivers are given more points per offense than non-CDL drivers. Given the relative ease at which you can accumulate points on your record, it is best to keep it clean. You never know when your next violation will occur.
Police officers often don't understand the seriousness of the consequences CDL drivers face. They typically view CDL drivers as easy targets who will be out of state when their ticket is set for court. They never expect you to hire an attorney to handle your ticket.
Memphis city courts are very stubborn when it comes to CDL tickets. Our CDL ticket attorneys know how to get your ticket dismissed without a trial if it can be done. In many cases, however, if you want your ticket dismissed you will have to win at trial. Call (901) 578-1515 for a free consultation and we will fight to keep it off your record.
Shelby County prosecutors will, in some cases, negotiate CDL tickets. However, a trial may be necessary depending on your driving history. Call (901) 578-1515 for a free consultation and we will fight to keep it off your record.
Like the answer above, these tickets can be negotiated depending on your driving history. Call us to discuss the specifics of your situation.
Prosecutors get paid to prosecute cases. If you don't know the rules and procedures, you are at a serious disadvantage. The prosecutor will not dismiss a ticket just because you present a different version of events than those indicated by the officer. If fined, found guilty, or dismissed with court costs, you may face one or more of the following:
People who represent themselves do not know the rules of the court. You may not be able to submit or present evidence to the judge because you do not know the proper procedure or the rules of evidence. You may not be able to properly cross-examine witnesses or call your own witnesses because you do not know the difference between leading questions and questions that call for hearsay answers. You may not know when to object to the prosecutor's questions. It is likely you will lose a case based on your non-attorney advocacy.
Yes. But you shouldn't. You will be held to the same standard as an attorney. This means you will be required to know and adhere to all court rules and procedures, as well as the rules of evidence which govern what can be presented in court and how it can be presented.
The judge will weigh the evidence as it is presented. You will receive no special treatment because you are a lay person. The prosecutor will not go easy on you either.
Attorney Mitchell Wood investigates the stop, knows the regulations that apply to the citation, and tries the case when trying it is what the citation requires. That is a different skill from resolving tickets by plea, and on a commercial license it is the only skill that matters.
Attorney fees on a CDL traffic ticket in Memphis City Court and Shelby County General Sessions range from $750 to $1,000 depending on the court. Courts outside Memphis and Shelby County are higher. Call for an exact number for your court. This is a pittance compared to losing your CDL and your livelihood.
Call today or contact us online. No commitment required.