After several years of watching our members endure economic difficulties and struggling just to maintain their businesses, we are looking forward to once again being able to focus our energies on our mutual growth. The U.S. economy seems to be recovering, ever so slowly, and we have seen that many carriers are now starting to hire more drivers. In an effort to better serve our members’ needs, NTA will be doing a number of new things this year that will provide our members with new and better services and/or products.
Some of the things NTA will be doing this year include moving into a new, larger corporate headquarters in Reno, NV (as of April 1, 2012, our new address will be 9120 Double Diamond Parkway, Reno, NV 89521) and starting our own “channel” on YouTube (NTASSOC). We will also be beginning a joint venture with the National Motorists Association (NMA) which will include making available a very low cost “Traffic Justice Program” to help members fight speeding tickets in any state, with no monthly dues, and also make available a nationwide network of attorney firms to handle traffic tickets.
With the FMCSA now keeping track of all drivers’ points through their new CSA program, every driver needs to do all that he or she can to protect their driving record, or else one day they will wake up and find that no one will hire them. You must do whatever it takes to keep the points off of your record, or you will pay the price.
Over the years, I have done articles on the different organizations that help drivers with their tickets. While searching the web for some of those past companies and for this article, I found that they ALL have gone up in price – from nearly $150 to $470 per year. One won’t even publish their price on their website, and the biggest one, who also had the most complaints against it, has changed its name and now focuses on giving legal advice. I guess it got too hot for them! No matter who you choose, take the time to do your due diligence and check out the company for complaints. You should always check the Better Business Bureau, Media Moogle, Pyramid Scheme Alert, Consumer Affairs, the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of your particular state.
NTA has always been an advocate for safety, and we have always strived to help truckers be safer drivers. Well, truckers are motorists, too, and there is a little known organization called the National Motorists Association (NMA) that has been protecting motorists for the last 30 years – since 1982. But first, a little background on NMA.
Back in the 1980’s there was a need for a national organization to represent the nation’s motorists. So, to fill that need, the Citizens Coalition for Rational Traffic Laws was created with the intention to repeal the 55 mph maximum speed limit in the U.S., implemented during the Eisenhower era. In April 1987, after much lobbying by the NMA, Congress finally amended the speed limit, President Reagan signed the bill, and 18 states promptly raised their rural interstate speed limits. There are now 41 states with 65 mph speed limits. In the mid-1990s, the group changed their name to the National Motorists Association (NMA).
Membership in the NMA is only $35 per year. The NMA supports higher speed limits, an end to speed traps, fairer traffic courts, and stopping the use of traffic tickets to generate revenue. They are also against red-light ticket cameras and photo speed enforcement. They want better lane courtesy on our highways, and the proper use of our user fees – they want the fuel taxes that are collected to be spent on our highways, as they should be.
One thing that I really like about the NMA is that if you get a speeding ticket and want to fight it in court, you can rent their Legal Defense Kit. This kit is designed to help you represent yourself in traffic court and win! This Legal Defense Kit is a nine-pound package filled with 30 years of knowledge not available from any other source. If you’ve decided to fight a ticket, the following resources are available to all members: 7 Mistakes That Most People Make When Fighting a Speeding Ticket; How To Fight Your Speeding Ticket With Simple Math; and 10 Things You Might Not Know About Fighting a Ticket. Now, guess what? If you follow the information in the Legal Defense Kit and still end up losing your court case, they will reimburse you up to $300 per year.
The NMA also has a standing $10,000 Ticket Camera Challenge. This is a program designed to prove that engineering solutions – NOT automated enforcement by ticket cameras – are the REAL way to prevent red-light violations and accidents at problematic intersections. If city officials are truly interested in the safety of their citizens, they should look at solutions that work, rather than just collecting money from traffic tickets. Red-light cameras are merely a for-profit proposition for the cities and camera companies. These cities come to depend on an ongoing, steady stream of photo citation fines from non-informed citizens who just want to take the easy way out and pay (instead of fight). Don’t let them win any longer!
I no longer want to hear the excuse that you can’t fight your ticket in court. You don’t have to be a Perry Mason, Johnnie Cochran or Robert Shapiro to win in court. In fact, the only time you need an attorney is to protect you from another attorney! Here’s a perfect example: an average guy recently sued AT&T in Ventura Small Claims Court and won. To read more about the case, just search “Matt Spaccarelli” online and see what he did. Spaccarelli (39) researched his case for a couple of months and then spent three days putting together a binder of documents to bring to court. And in the end, he beat the corporate behemoth!
NTA will soon be offering membership in NMA through our organization. Please check our website (www.ntassoc.com) for updates or call (562) 279-0557, because many exciting things are happening.
