Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives: How to Clean Your New Jersey Driving Record

As a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, you know just how important it is to have a clean driving record, but you also know how difficult it is to keep it that way. Your position probably requires you to spend a significant amount of time in your car, or – as some Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives have described it – your “mobile office.” With the increased time spent driving, the likelihood of obtaining motor vehicle infractions is also increased, however. Even if you consider yourself safe driver, sometimes motor vehicle infractions are inevitable, especially when you spend hours on the road on a daily basis.

For Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives, however, having any violations of your record – even those non-moving violations which carry zero points under New Jersey law – can pose significant problems with your employment. Pharmaceutical companies have strict policies in place when it comes to the Motor Vehicle Records (“MVRs”) of their employees – and for good reason.  Insurance rates for at-risk drivers are higher.

Rather than using the point system adopted by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (“MVC”), insurance underwriters for these companies often use their own point system when evaluating whether or not a particular employee is considered an at-risk driver. Even minor traffic violations and non-moving violations can cause major problems for Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives. For instance, while a seatbelt violation in New Jersey is considered a non-moving violation, which carries zero points, your employer’s point system might assess 10 points for such a violation. Thus, while you may have thought it was a good idea in the past to plead guilty to small traffic violation, which carried little or no points, you might now be re-evaluating that decision.

Pharmaceutical sales employees that have excessive points utilizing their employer’s point system are often subject to disciplinary action, which could include the suspension or revocation of driving privileges and/or termination. Unfortunately, there is no mechanism for expunging or removing traffic offenses from your motor vehicle record in New Jersey, regardless of how old the offense is.  Instead, all traffic violations are a permanent part of your driving record. Thus, if you plead guilty or were otherwise found guilty of a traffic offense that is now posing a problem for your employment, often times the only way to undo such a violation is to have an attorney file a motion to vacate your guilty plea in the Municipal Court. Once the Municipal Court grants the motion, your attorney can then work to either dismiss the ticket altogether, or to amend it to a lesser offense.

It is important to remember that each pharmaceutical company has its own policies and point system in place. Thus, it is imperative that your attorney is knowledgeable of your company’s policies in order to provide you with the best possible outcome, given your employer’s requirements. The attorneys at Wolf Law have worked with employees of pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Merck to clean their motor vehicle records.  We have filed Motions to Vacate guilty pleas in various Municipal Courts in New Jersey and have been able to successfully dismiss and/or reduce prior traffic offenses on behalf of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we have successfully assisted numerous clients in keeping their jobs and avoiding any disciplinary action as a result of their driving record.

If you are a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative who is facing termination or other disciplinary action as a result of your Motor Vehicle Record, contact the attorneys at Wolf Law today. Not only can we assist you in seeking to clean your Motor Vehicle Record through the New Jersey municipal court system, but we are also able, when necessary, to advocate on your behalf with your employer. Call us today at (732) 741-4448 for a free consultation.