- Guilty Plea: You could just pay it which is a guilty plea and go on down the road unless the judge demands you show up in court.
- Not-Guilty Plea: You could plead not guilty and get a court date, where you could return to the court and defend yourself.
- Ignore the Citation: You could just ignore it and hope it goes away. This is NOT recommended as the law enforcement will eventually catch up with you and suspend your license and fines will be increased with penalties.
What about the citation received during an inspection where the officer writing the citation is judge, jury and executioner? In that situation you can do a DataQ Challenge, but you will need to provide all the documentation you can as well as present your case. Know the regulations as this will help you determine if you have a chance in fighting the violation. Whenever possible cite regulation to substantiate your position. If you can convince the officer he made a mistake, then he will remove or reduce the citation and the points on your CSA. There is a driver shortage out there right now; however a lot of that shortage is caused because carriers refuse to hire drivers with too many points on the CDL or CSA. You should do a DataQ Challenge on any inspection you receive where the officer puts points on your CSA that you disagree with. Do that here.
Always follow the law and be a safe driver, but if the time comes when you do receive a citation, be smart about the steps you take afterward, and it could save you money and your career.