What Should a Trucker Do When... Pulled Over by a Cop?

**Disclaimer: We want to begin by saying that, while there is some great advice
to be considered here, this is in no way legal advice, and should not be taken as such.**

Whether in a personal or professional capacity, we are all bound to get pulled over by a cop at some point. The best thing you can do as a trucker is to prepare for when, not if, you get pulled over in your 18-wheeler. This way, when it does happen, you won't be caught off-guard.

Ok, let's start at the beginning. You just checked on with dispatch, and you're headed on your merry way down I-10, when you see the familiar red and blue lights flickering in your rearview mirror. You safely pull off to the side of the road and the officer approaches. Cue scene...



Truck driver leaves his seatbelt on, puts both hands on the steering wheel, and watches the highway patrol officer approach.

Officer: Good afternoon. Do you know why I pulled you over?

Trucker: Good afternoon, officer. No, what is the problem?

Officer: I clocked you going 15 miles over the speed limit.

Trucker answers the officer's questions, and complies with his requests...

First, you'll notice that the trucker in this scene left his seatbelt on. This is because you wouldn't want to get a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt on top of everything else, just because you unbuckled it too soon.

Second, from the officer's perspective, remember that he is going to want to see your hands at all times. That's why it's best to already have all necessary paperwork in an easily accessible location. If it isn't in a visible location and he asks for your papers, it's a good idea to say something along the lines of, "Okay, I need to reach for for my paperwork. It's in ____."

Communicating what you're about to do is important. From his point of view, know that he must assume all possible angles of a situation until things play out. When your hands are out of his sight, you may notice him tense up, and maybe his hand move toward his gun. He doesn't know if you're being truthful about what you're reaching for, and is merely preparing to protect himself if needed. Like you, the officer is just doing his job and wants to make it home in one piece.

Cops never know when they are putting their lives on the line, so they're trained to always be on guard. Understanding all of this may help you to better handle the situation of being pulled over while on the job. In addition, your patience and compliance could even help you to get off with just a warning. If you really were breaking the law in some way and you have an attitude with the officer, you're just asking him to throw the book at you.

Once the officer asks you if you know why he pulled you over, it is best to let him tell you. If he pulled you over, he obviously had a reason. If he clocked you going over the speed limit he already has proof. You verbally acknowledging this is just a further admission of guilt. Remember the phrase, "Anything you say can and will be held against you..."? Well, that applies here.

The best thing to do is to keep any other answers short and sweet. Provide the officer with the paperwork requested, but nothing more. Keep things simple- for you and him.

Once the officer has completed the stop, thank him. This simple act of courtesy can go a long way, especially if you end up appearing in court. Speaking of court, many veteran truckers recommend contesting every citation. Even if it is possible that you did do what you were cited for, you want to keep your CDL as clean as possible and make every attempt to do so. Before calling an attorney, you'll also want to write down a detailed account of your version of the events while the incident is still fresh in your mind. The attorney who ends up arguing your case will thank you later. Also, remember that traffics stops are usually recorded in some manner. Your attorney may request a copy of this recording to use as evidence and, if it shows you being polite and compliant, this will reflect positively on you. (But hey, we know that that isn't the only reason why you're polite!).

Have you ever been pulled over while trucking? Would you add any bits of advice to this? Let us know in the comments!