screwed up with a u turn

[MtFoxx]

. . . you don't have a job . . you ain't got no money . . throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Tell the judge you believe you have a defense but you can't afford a lawyer. Judges understand. They were (are) all lawyers and they don't feel the community is being properly represented unless you have a lawyer. Be humble, be sincere and be honest. U turn laws are vague, at best. Your CDL IS your lively-hood and the judge needs to hear it from you.

This is a possibility... I have had a similar situation go well in court. However, I was driving a pickup w/ a livestock trailer; not a rig.

You can still plead not guilty and ask for time to secure representation; If the judge won't budge. You can continue this out for some time if it will buy you the time you need to Refi the house. BE LOOKING FOR A NEW POSSITION THE ENTIRE TIME.

Chin up man... anxiety blocks learning and creativity; something you can't be at a loss for right now!

Just my .02 worth, sorry bout the wife...

Good luck man.

[Skywalker]

At TMC any u-turn, ticketed or not, is a termination offense.

As it is with "most companies".

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

I've never made a u-turn ...But I've employed many 1pt turns .

[Skywalker]

Termination for U Turns is pretty standard.
But, what about you turn off the road into a drive. Then back out on the road to reverse your direction. Is that illegal? Seems no different than backing your car out of the driveway.

There is not, to my knowledge, any prohibition against pulling off the road into a driveway and backing out again onto the roadway. I have seen company policies that show a "U-turn" on a street or a road to be a termination offense....but it was always limited to a u-turn. No mention of going into a drive and backing out to reverse direction. Its not "illegal" trafficwise, whereas....in many places u-turns are illegal.

Using a drive to reverse directions...is a maneuver best done with tremendous caution. You are extremely vulnerable to being hit while backing back out on to the roadway...from either direction. Whenever I have to reverse direction....as in the case of one of my deliveries.... I make use of a parking lot big enough to do so 8)

[Dejanh]

I just did a u-turn in Winston-Salem at 3:00 AM across 4 lanes of traffic due to bad directions...If there was a better choice i would have taken it but since there was not, i took the only one i knew about.

[Sheepdancer]

Really from what I see the problem you are having right now is not the ticket, its being fired for a safety related reason. Unfortunately, even if you get the ticket cleared, its been my experience that many companies still wont hire you because you were fired.
Also for the record, you mentioned JB hunt wont touch you for 3 to 6 months. It will be 6 months. And only 6 months if you have been driving for someone else for those 6 months clean with no problems.

[golfhobo]

At TMC any u-turn, ticketed or not, is a termination offense.

As it is with "most companies".

Okay.... we've finally found a subject I apparently know NOTHING about. [Belay that response, Rev! ]

I was NEVER told in CDL school that a CMV was NOT allowed to make a U-turn IF it was allowed for other vehicles at that location. I don't REMEMBER seeing anything in my CDL manual about it.

Someone PLEASE cite any reg, law or whatever info you have to support this claim, as I make them quite OFTEN! :shock:

[Rev.Vassago]

At TMC any u-turn, ticketed or not, is a termination offense.

As it is with "most companies".

Okay.... we've finally found a subject I apparently know NOTHING about. [Belay that response, Rev! ]

I was NEVER told in CDL school that a CMV was NOT allowed to make a U-turn IF it was allowed for other vehicles at that location. I don't REMEMBER seeing anything in my CDL manual about it.

Someone PLEASE cite any reg, law or whatever info you have to support this claim, as I make them quite OFTEN! :shock:

They said nothing about the law. They said everything about company policy. Most companies will terminate if you are caught making a u-turn.

[golfhobo]

Okay, Rev.... I caught the distinction, and I said I never heard any reg or rationale that would support it. Since I don't work for one of "most companies," and there are no regs against it, I am just wondering WHY "most companies" would terminate you for doing NOTHING wrong??

I mean, I could understand IF you crunched a "civilian" while doing it, or MAYBE even IF you got cited because there was a no U-turn sign.... but otherwise?? Just for MAKING a U-turn??

What is their reasoning?? Just because they "said so?"

[Orangetxguy]

Have you ever seen the trailer, that was stuck in the center median, with the trailer axles down in the mud, the landing gear dug into the ground, and the trailer sitting on the tractor's frame and drive tires? Have you ever seen a trailer cross-ways of a city street, with a car wedged under the trailer frame?

Those are the 2 most common scenerio's where a driver made a "legal" U-turn, and caused major problems, thus the policy and termination.

Back in the mid-90's a Schneider National unit, took a wrong turn down by the Kingdome, ended up in Pioneer Square, which is part of downtown Seattle. the driver decided he could make a U-turn in an intersection, and caused over $3 million in damages to a 100 year old structure. Looked real funny on TV, watching them throw bricks off the roof of the trailer, so they could move it away from where it was at. The structure that the trailer hit was like a "gazebo" that was made out of cast-iron, built in 1889. The driver got the trailer into the side of a building, trying to get away from the "gazebo". The building he hit second is where the bricks came from. I remember the incident well...just can not remember the name of that dang structure for the life of me.

[line_transporter]

I wonder if doing a U-Turn with a bobtail is ok. U-turn with a full size trailer takes some skill, and is also a bit risky, because you can't see it once you're in the turn. But bobtail.. it's like driving a car. In any case, maybe you can convince the court that you had no option other than to do a u-turn

[silvan]

I watched a guy drive right into my trailer tires.

I was coming out of a place where I had to do a hard hook to the right, so I needed to be all the way up against the left curb, facing the wrong way against the ENTER ONLY arrow.

I was watching to my left for traffic coming down, and to my right for traffic stopped at the light, to make sure I didn't pull out into someone in my blind spot. Somewhere between looking here and there, I lost a green SUV who went right in front of me in my blind spot, and decided to turn, and try to drive through my trailer to avoid stopping at the red light.

She realized she had nowhere to go (duh) but didn't have enough sense to back up, honk her horn, anything. Eventually I was clear to my left and right, and I pulled out. A glimpse of blonde hair out of the corner of my eye got my attention, and I saw her standing up as she got out of her SUV, which was rocked back on the left rear wheel, from where my trailer was about to flip it over.

My company's insurance agent got a kick out of this one. I didn't get the ticket.

[golfhobo]

I wonder if doing a U-Turn with a bobtail is ok. U-turn with a full size trailer takes some skill, and is also a bit risky, because you can't see it once you're in the turn. But bobtail.. it's like driving a car. In any case, maybe you can convince the court that you had no option other than to do a u-turn

WHAT???? Look out your left window! You'll see everything from the DOT bumper to the reefer unit! :shock:

[ihatefordtrucks]

Use common sense when doing U-turns, however, they are not illegal, unless posted. FIGHT THAT DAMN TICKET. Just because a cop gives you a ticket and says your at fault doesn't mean it's so.

I had a woman rear-end me once. The cop gave me a ticket for no-turn signal (even though I wasn't turning), and said the accident was my fault. I went to the prosecutor and it took me an entire 20 seconds to convince her the ticket was BS, and to drop it. Then the state sent me a letter saying the accident wasn't my fault.

A MUST WHEN DRIVING A TRUCK - Always carry a disposable camera with you for accidents. As soon as you use it, go buy another.

I got two tickets the other day, one for being in the left lane, the other for expired plates. The expired plate ticket was BS. Anyhow, all I did was place a phone call to the county traffic prosecutor, he agreed with me on the bogus plate ticket. I told him I would be happy to pay the license plate ticket, if he would drop the left lane violation (which was a moving violation). He however, informed me, that he would place both tickets on deferral, and so long as I didn't get any more tickets in that county for six months, they would be dropped forever. He even said he understood the job we have to do, and that we gotta keep moving to make money.

Not everyone hates truckers. Not everyone wants to take you down. Not every state thinks that rest areas are a place for DOT officers to inspect truckers, like Ohio.

Now quit crying and FIGHT THAT TICKET!!!

[chubyboy]

At TMC any u-turn, ticketed or not, is a termination offense.

As it is with "most companies".

Really, so like when i turned my tender trailer around on a couty road in a intersection because i missed my turn is banned by many companies? I personally dont find a U-Turn as such to be very dangerous, unless you have a bit of traffic. The road was open to i just whipped it around and continued back one mile... I'm quite sure when i swing too wide and have to back up a bit to swing the tractors nose away from the curb is a **** ton more dangerous than that u-turn...