El Paso is one of the busiest freight corridors on the border, with thousands of commercial drivers moving loads across the Bridge of the Americas, the Ysleta-Zaragoza bridge and along I-10 every day. For those drivers, a ticket is not a nuisance; it is a threat to the license their family depends on. Speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, following too closely, improper lane change, log-book and overweight violations, and any citation written by a DPS commercial vehicle enforcement trooper at a weigh station can count toward disqualification. A CDL holder needs a defense strategy that a regular driver never has to think about.
Commercial licenses are governed by Texas Transportation Code Chapter 522 and the federal regulations at 49 CFR Part 383. Under 49 CFR 383.51, two serious traffic violations in any three-year period bring a 60-day disqualification and three bring 120 days, and those counts include tickets received in your personal vehicle. Federal anti-masking rules in 49 CFR 384.226 are mirrored in Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Articles 45.051 and 45.0511, which prohibit deferred disposition and driving safety course dismissals for anyone who held a CDL when the offense occurred. In other words, the two easiest exits available to ordinary El Paso drivers are closed to you, and a conviction goes straight to your CDLIS record.
Because the shortcuts are gone, the case has to be worked the hard way, and that is what we do. Robert Navar appears for you in El Paso Municipal Court or the El Paso County JP courts so you can stay on the road, requests the trooper's documentation and inspection report, and negotiates for an outright dismissal or an amendment to a non-moving, non-serious violation that does not count under Part 383. When the prosecutor will not move, we set the case for trial and hold the state to its proof. You never appear unless a trial requires your testimony, which is rare. Drivers who plead at the window to save a day of work often lose sixty days of work instead.
Which violations count toward CDL disqualification
Under 49 CFR 383.51 the serious traffic violations are speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper or erratic lane changes, following too closely, a moving violation connected to a fatal crash, driving a commercial vehicle without a CDL or without the proper class or endorsement, and texting or using a handheld phone while driving a commercial vehicle. Railroad-crossing violations and out-of-service order violations carry their own, harsher disqualification schedules. Any conviction in Texas is reported to the CDLIS record your employer and insurer check, and Texas Transportation Code Section 522.081 lists the state-level disqualification periods that apply on top of the federal ones.
Tickets in your personal car still count
A common surprise for El Paso commercial drivers is that a speeding ticket in the family pickup on a Sunday counts against the CDL exactly like a ticket in the truck. Federal law looks at the license, not the vehicle. It also means the deferred disposition and defensive driving bans apply to the personal-vehicle ticket, so the clerk's standard offer is not available to you even though it is printed on the citation envelope. Tell us you hold a CDL the moment you call, even if you are between jobs, because the ban applies to anyone who held the license on the date of the offense.
What's included
- Letter of representation filed in the El Paso court before your appearance date
- Review of the citation against 49 CFR 383.51 and Texas Chapter 522 to identify disqualification exposure
- Request for the trooper's notes, inspection report and any radar or scale records
- Negotiation with the prosecutor for dismissal or amendment to a non-serious, non-moving violation
- Attorney attendance at every docket setting so you stay on the road
- Trial setting and trial preparation when the state refuses a fair offer
- Written confirmation of the final result for your carrier or safety department
How it works
Send the citation and tell us you hold a CDL
Text a photo of the ticket and your CDL, plus any inspection report. We identify the court, the deadline and whether the charge is a serious violation under federal rules, then quote a flat fee.
We appear and build the defense
Robert Navar files his appearance, obtains the trooper's paperwork and negotiates in El Paso Municipal Court or the JP court for a dismissal or an amendment that will not appear on your CDLIS record.
Resolve or try the case
You approve any offer before it is accepted. If the state will not offer a result that protects your license, we set the case for trial, prepare it fully and keep you informed of every date.