Traffic school with a CDL: what the federal rule allows
A commercial driver license changes the answer even when the ticket was in your own car. Federal rule 49 CFR 384.226 stops a state from keeping a CDL holder's traffic conviction off the record, so dismissal and masking programs close. Courses that take points off are a separate question. Rules checked October 2026.
49 CFR 384.226The federal rule that changes the answer for a CDL holder
Rules checked . Updated .
What 49 CFR 384.226 says
The rule is part of the standards a state must meet to issue commercial licenses. A state may not mask a conviction, defer judgment on it, or send the driver to a diversion program when that would keep the conviction off the driver's record in the national commercial driver database. It covers holders of a commercial learner's permit and of a CDL, a violation of any state or local traffic law in any type of vehicle, and a ticket written in any state. Parking, vehicle weight and vehicle defect violations are left out.
Read it in the 2025 annual edition or the current eCFR text. A traffic school that dismisses a ticket or keeps it confidential does exactly what the rule forbids for a CDL holder, so in those states the course closes to you, in your truck or in your own car.
How the checker applies the CDL rule
When you choose "CDL" as your license, the checker reads your state’s published CDL rule and the kind of program the state runs:
- The state closes its course to CDL holders. Not eligible, with the state rule as the reason.
- A dismissal or masking program that is silent on CDL holders. Not eligible, with 49 CFR 384.226 as the reason. Silence never opens a program the federal rule closes.
- A dismissal or masking program that opens to CDL holders anyway. Points off: the course can keep points off, and the federal rule keeps the conviction on the record.
- A points off program. Open where the state says so, closed where it says no. Where it says nothing, the answer carries "confirm with your court": the federal rule is about keeping a conviction off the record, and these courses leave it on.
Traffic school for CDL holders, state by state
13 states publish a CDL rule. California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah and Washington close the course to CDL holders. Arizona, Kentucky and Virginia open it. The table gives the checker's answer for every state where a course does something, for a CDL holder ticketed 10 mph over on a 65 mph road in a personal car.
Where a CDL holder can still have points kept off
Kentucky opens State Traffic School to CDL holders, but its own page says the conviction still shows for them (KY State Traffic School, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (Drive.ky.gov)). Arizona does the same for a CDL holder driving a regular, non-commercial vehicle, and Phoenix Municipal Court says the conviction is still reported (Phoenix Municipal Court). The checker answers Points off in both states, with a request to confirm where the court has the last word.
California's rule closes traffic violator school to CDL holders, and the checker answers Not eligible. California's own guidance adds one route: a CDL holder ticketed in a personal vehicle may attend, the conviction stays visible, and only the point is held back (California Vehicle Code section 42005). The California page prints that sentence with the rule. Ask the court on your citation whether it applies to your ticket.
Among points off states, Virginia opens its driver improvement clinic to CDL holders for safe driving points, while its courts may not reduce, dismiss or defer a conviction for a CDL holder because of the clinic (Reasons for Attending a Driver Improvement Course, Virginia DMV). New York's Point and Insurance Reduction Program publishes nothing on CDL holders, so the checker answers Points off with a request to confirm (Point and Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP), NY DMV (Internet Archive capture of 2026-08-13)).
A ticket written in a commercial vehicle
A separate question applies when the ticket was written while you drove a commercial vehicle, whatever your license. Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Rhode Island and Washington close the course to those tickets. Kentucky publishes that it allows them. Everywhere else the checker asks you to confirm with your court.
| Court | State | CDL holders | Commercial vehicle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson Municipal Court | Nevada | Closed | Not published | Demerit Point Reduction Options, Henderson Municipal Court (Internet Archive capture of 2026-04-17) |
| Las Vegas Municipal Court | Nevada | Closed | Not published | Las Vegas Municipal Court, Administrative Order adopting court rules regarding traffic violations (August 2023), Rules 2.4 and 2.7 |
| Austin Municipal Court | Texas | Not published | Closed | Austin Municipal Court: Ways to Request a Deferral for a Moving Violation |
What a CDL holder can still do
Where the course is closed, the published routes are the same as for any driver: pay the ticket and accept the conviction, or contest it. Which route to take is your decision, and a lawyer licensed in the state can advise on it.