One speeding ticket does not disqualify a CDL. Two can. Under 49 CFR 383.51, speeding 15 mph or more over the limit is a serious traffic violation; a second serious violation in a separate incident within three years brings a 60-day disqualification, a third 120 days. The conviction goes on your CDL record even in your own car, the state may not let you keep it off with traffic school or a deferral, and you have 30 days to tell your employer.
What counts as a serious traffic violation
Table 2 to 49 CFR 383.51 lists the offenses. For a speeding ticket the relevant lines are:
| Offense (Table 2 to 383.51) | 2nd conviction in 3 years, in a CMV | 2nd conviction in 3 years, in a non-CMV* | 3rd or later in 3 years, CMV | 3rd or later, non-CMV* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Speeding excessively, "any speed of 24.1 kmph (15 mph) or more above the regulated or posted speed limit" | 60 days | 60 days | 120 days | 120 days |
| (2) Driving recklessly, as defined by state or local law | 60 days | 60 days | 120 days | 120 days |
| (3) Improper or erratic lane changes | 60 days | 60 days | 120 days | 120 days |
| (4) Following too closely | 60 days | 60 days | 120 days | 120 days |
| (5) A traffic control violation (other than parking) in connection with a fatal accident | 60 days | 60 days | 120 days | 120 days |
*The non-CMV columns apply only "if the conviction results in the revocation, cancellation, or suspension of the CLP or CDL holder's license or non-CMV driving privileges." The table also lists driving a CMV without a CDL, without the CDL in your possession, or without the right class or endorsements, and texting or using a hand-held phone while driving a CMV; those are CMV-only offenses.
The three-year window is measured between separate incidents, and "any combination of offenses in this Table" counts: a 15-over ticket and a following-too-closely conviction two years later make a second serious violation. A first serious violation on its own carries no federal disqualification; state points and your employer's policy are another matter.
Under 15 over: still a conviction, not a serious violation
A ticket for 9 mph over the limit is not a Table 2 offense, so it does not count toward the 60-day disqualification. It still goes on the CDLIS driver record, still has to be reported to your employer within 30 days, and still shows up when the carrier pulls your motor vehicle record. Whether it carries points is a matter of state law: there is no federal CDL points system, only the federal disqualification tables and each state's own points scheme.
Tickets in your personal vehicle
The Table 2 columns for a non-CMV answer the most common question. A CDL holder convicted of 15-over in a private car has committed a serious traffic violation; two of them in three years disqualify the CDL for 60 days, but only if the conviction leads the state to suspend, revoke or cancel the driver's license or non-CMV privileges. In practice the personal-vehicle ticket counts fully toward the three-year tally and reaches the CDL when the state acts on the license. 383.51(a)(3) states the principle: a CLP or CDL holder is subject to the disqualification sanctions "if the holder drives a CMV or non-CMV and is convicted of the violations listed".
The major offenses in Table 1, driving under the influence, leaving the scene, using a vehicle in a felony, disqualify for a year on a first conviction whether the vehicle was a truck or a car, with the same non-CMV condition; they are on the disqualifying offenses page.
Why traffic school and deferrals do not work
49 CFR 384.226 is one sentence: "The State must not mask, defer imposition of judgment, or allow an individual to enter into a diversion program that would prevent a CLP or CDL holder's conviction for any violation, in any type of motor vehicle, of a State or local traffic control law (other than parking, vehicle weight, or vehicle defect violations) from appearing on the CDLIS driver record, whether the driver was convicted for an offense committed in the State where the driver is licensed or another State."
That is why a court that offers other drivers traffic school in exchange for dismissal cannot offer it to a CDL holder, even for a ticket in a personal car, and why a plea to a lesser charge is the only negotiation available. Contesting the ticket, or pleading to a non-moving or lower-speed offense that is not in Table 2, is legal; hiding a conviction is not, and a state that does it risks its CDL program's federal certification.
What you must do after a conviction
- Tell your employer within 30 days. 49 CFR 383.31(a): a CDL holder "convicted of violating, in any type of motor vehicle, a State or local law relating to motor vehicle traffic control (other than a parking violation), shall notify his/her current employer of such conviction" within 30 days. The notice must be in writing and include your name, license number, date of conviction, the offense, whether it was in a CMV, where it happened, and your signature (383.31(b)).
- Tell your employer if your license is suspended before the end of the next business day (383.33).
The employer, for its part, must pull and review your motor vehicle record at least once every 12 months (49 CFR 391.25) and must not let a disqualified driver drive (383.51(a)(2)). The annual list of violations a driver used to sign is gone: 391.27 is reserved.
Worked examples
Example 1. A driver is convicted of 18 over in the truck in March 2025 and 16 over in a personal car in January 2027, and the state suspends the car license for the second offense. Two serious violations in three years: 60-day CDL disqualification.
Example 2. The same driver's second ticket is 12 over. Not a Table 2 offense, no disqualification; both convictions are on the record, both must be reported to the employer, and the carrier sees them at the annual review.
Example 3. Two 15-over convictions four years apart. Outside the three-year window: no disqualification, but the second starts a new window.
Common mistakes
- Paying the ticket by mail without checking whether it is 15 over. Paying is a conviction.
- Assuming a personal-car ticket stays off the CDL. It goes on the CDLIS record and counts toward the tally.
- Asking for traffic school. The court cannot mask the conviction for a CDL holder (384.226).
- Not telling the employer within 30 days. That is a separate violation.
- Confusing state points with federal disqualification. Points are state; the 60 and 120-day periods are federal and apply in every state.
Where to take a test after a disqualification ends, if the state requires one, is in the CDL testing directory.