Will My Boss Find Out if I Get a Speeding Ticket in a Company Vehicle?

It may be possible for your boss to check for traffic tickets online using the vehicle's plate number.
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It's never fun to get a speeding ticket. However, getting ticketed while using the company vehicle may cause even greater anxiety, especially if doing so places your job at risk. The good news is your boss is unlikely to find out about the violation unless he routinely checks your driving record or you're required to tell him about it because of state law or your company's policy.

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License Plate Number Disclosed on Ticket

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If you are caught speeding, the cop who pulled you over will probably ticket you on the spot. He'll look at your driver's license and other documents, such as your registration and insurance, write your personal information on the ticket and the vehicle code you violated. It is also common for police officers to write license plate numbers on traffic citations as well. Therefore, if you are ticketed while using a company vehicle, the plate number will likely be listed on your speeding ticket.

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(Ref 1, 2)

One way your boss can find out about your speeding ticket is by checking the vehicle's license plate number for traffic violations. For example, if you live in New Jersey, your boss can simply visit the New Jersey Courts website and enter the plate number. Your speeding violation, along with other traffic violations that occurred in that vehicle, will pop up. However, your boss can only do this if your state makes license plate searches available, and not many states do. Another way your boss can discover your speeding ticket is by reviewing your driving history if you authorized the department of motor vehicles to release this information to your boss. This is a common requirement for those who work in certain occupations, such as bus and truck drivers.

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(Ref 5, 6)

May Be Required to Tell Boss

Even if your boss doesn't uncover the speeding ticket by reviewing your driving record, you may be required to tell him about it. This is typically the case if state law or company policy requires you to do so. For example, in Washington state, commercial drivers are required to notify their employers of any traffic violations, not including parking tickets, within 30 days of conviction, regardless of whether they were ticketed in their own vehicle or a company one. If you don't report your speeding ticket and your boss later finds out about it, you could face disciplinary action. For instance, your boss may have no choice but to fire you if you don't tell him about your speeding ticket if it's company policy to suspend drivers who don't report traffic violations within 30 days of being ticketed and terminating those who don't report them at all.

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(Ref 7 pg. 1-21 and 1-22, 8)

Violation Notices Sometimes Also Mailed

In addition to the speeding ticket, a few jurisdictions also mail a courtesy notice to drivers. It may go by a variety of names, including Notice of Bail. Typically, the notice is sent to your address as listed on the ticket, which the officer gets from your driver's license or you when he asks for a current address. However, unless your boss's address is listed on the ticket, it is very unlikely he will learn about your speeding violation this way.

(Ref 3, 4)

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