The 7 Safe Driver Week violations written most in 2026
Officers across North America interacted with 8,083 drivers during Operation Safe Driver Week, July 12-18, 2026. CVSA's results show the warnings and tickets landing on a short, familiar list, and the week's focus area was nowhere near the top.
Written by Gabriel Gonzalez
Commercial drivers, Safe Driver Week 2026
The Safe Driver Week violations written most often to commercial drivers in 2026 were speeding, failure to obey a traffic control device, no seat belt, texting or hand-held phone use, improper lane changes, reckless or careless driving, and following too closely. Those seven made up 3,106 of the 5,365 warnings and citations.
I've spent more than 22 years at Simplex, nearly 16 of them as COO, and I read enforcement results for one reason: they show where a fleet's money leaks. One traffic stop can add points to the company's safety score, move a driver closer to losing his CDL, and leave a truck without anyone to drive it.
CVSA released its 2026 Operation Safe Driver Week results on October 5. Here is what officers actually wrote, how it compares with 2025, and what each violation can cost a small fleet.
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Key takeaways
Speeding still leads, by less
Commercial drivers drew 1,114 speeding warnings and citations in 2026, down 29% from 1,564 in 2025.
Traffic control devices are the quiet No. 2
Signals, signs, and lane markings drew 971 warnings and citations, up 21%, more than seat belts and phones combined.
Phones and seat belts get tickets
56% of phone actions and 50% of seat belt actions were citations, against 31% for speeding.
Five of the seven can reach the CDL
Speeding 15 mph or more over, phones, lane changes, reckless driving, and tailgating are serious traffic violations. Two convictions in three years mean 60 days off.
The focus area barely registered
Reckless, careless, and dangerous driving, the 2026 focus, drew only 72 actions against commercial drivers.
In this articleContents
What were the top Safe Driver Week violations in 2026?
Speeding, ignored traffic control devices, and seat belts, in that order. In CVSA's 2026 results, officers in 36 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces, and Mexico gave commercial vehicle drivers 3,409 warnings and 1,956 citations, more than 8 in 10 of all actions that week.
| Violation | 2026 (warnings + citations) | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Speeding | 1,114 (772 + 342) | 1,564 |
| 2. Failure to obey a traffic control device | 971 (652 + 319) | 803 |
| 3. No seat belt | 537 (267 + 270) | 452 |
| 4. Texting or hand-held phone use | 242 (106 + 136) | 186 |
| 5. Improper lane change | 99 (76 + 23) | 112 |
| 6. Reckless, careless, or dangerous driving | 72 (50 + 22) | 59 |
| 7. Following too closely | 71 (48 + 23) | 65 |
Together the seven made up 3,106 of the 5,365 actions against commercial drivers. The categories CVSA lists below them were small: improper passing 39, drugs or alcohol 34, radar or laser detectors 26, and driving while ill or fatigued 15. CVSA doesn't itemize the rest.
For the program itself, its dates, and how a roadside stop reaches your safety record, see our guide to what Operation Safe Driver is.
What changed from 2025 to 2026?
Speeding fell and nearly everything else rose. Speeding actions against commercial drivers dropped 29%, from 1,564 to 1,114, after 1,723 in 2024. Traffic control devices rose 21%, seat belts 19%, and texting or hand-held phone use 30%.
Total actions against commercial drivers rose about 6%, to 5,365. The 2026 results also include Mexico, while CVSA reported 2025 for Canada and the U.S. only, so read the changes as enforcement counts, not as proof that drivers behaved better or worse.
Which violations end in a ticket?
Phones and seat belts. In 2026, 56% of texting or hand-held phone actions and 50% of seat belt actions against commercial drivers were citations. Speeding, traffic control devices, and following too closely ran 31% to 33%, and improper lane changes 23%.
Both are yes-or-no violations an officer can see through the window, and both are entirely in the driver's control. That makes them the cheapest tickets to prevent.
What happened to the focus area?
Reckless, careless, and dangerous driving was the 2026 focus, and it drew 50 warnings and 22 citations to commercial drivers, sixth on the list. In 2025, with reckless, careless, or inattentive driving as the focus, the count was 59. The focus shapes the outreach, but the tickets follow everyday habits.
What does each Safe Driver Week violation cost a fleet?
Points on your company's Unsafe Driving score and, for five of the seven, a step toward losing the driver. FMCSA uses violations written on a roadside inspection report in its Safety Measurement System for two years, whether the officer wrote a ticket or only a warning.
| Violation | SMS severity weight (1-10) | Serious traffic violation? |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding | 4, 7, or 10 by mph over; 10 in a work zone | Yes, at 15 mph or more over |
| Failure to obey a traffic control device | 5 | No, unless tied to a fatal crash |
| No seat belt | 7 | No |
| Texting or hand-held phone use | 10 | Yes |
| Improper lane change | 5 | Yes |
| Reckless or inattentive driving | 10 reckless, 5 inattentive | Yes, for reckless driving |
| Following too closely | 5 | Yes |
A serious traffic violation is the kind that reaches the license. Under 49 CFR 383.51, a second conviction within three years while driving a commercial vehicle disqualifies the driver for 60 days, and a third for 120 days. Convictions in a personal vehicle count too when they lead to a license suspension.
For a small fleet, a 60-day disqualification is a truck without its driver for two months. A CDL holder must report any traffic conviction other than parking to the employer, in writing, within 30 days under 49 CFR 383.31, so log every notice and you'll see a second one coming.
Phone violations can carry a federal price as well. FMCSA's penalty schedule allows up to $4,812 per violation for a driver who breaks its driving rules and up to $19,246 for a company, including one that allows or requires texting or hand-held calls. Those penalties come from FMCSA enforcement cases, separate from any state ticket.
How the weights add up to a percentile is covered in our guide to Unsafe Driving violations and CSA scores.
How to keep each violation off your record
Every one of the seven is illegal all year, so the fix is a standing rule, not a July reminder.
Speeding: dispatch at legal speeds
Under 49 CFR 392.6, a carrier may not schedule a run that can only be made by speeding. Build appointment times from posted limits and review telematics speed reports if you have them. Our post on speeding tickets in a commercial vehicle covers what one conviction does to the CDL.
Traffic control devices: coach the stop line
This violation covers signals, signs, lights, lane markings, and directions from a safety official, permanent or temporary. Coach full stops behind the line, yellow lights at truck stopping distances, and lane-use and truck-route signs, and talk through every one that shows up on an inspection report.
Seat belts: make it company policy
49 CFR 392.16 bars a driver from driving unbelted and bars the carrier from requiring or permitting it. In a property-carrying truck, every other occupant must be belted too.
Phones: hands off while moving
Texting and hand-held calls are banned while driving, including while stopped in traffic or at a light, under 49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82. The only exception is contacting police or emergency services. Put the ban in your driver policy and have every driver sign it.
Lane changes, following distance, and reckless driving
All three are serious traffic violations, and all three come down to space. Coach a following gap that grows with speed and weather, signals held long enough to be seen, and patience at merges. Speed and following distance is one of our 10 safety training topics for truck drivers.
Close the loop on every stop
Ask drivers for a copy of whatever the officer hands over, match each inspection report to the driver, and request a DataQs review of any violation recorded in error. Pull and review each driver's motor vehicle record at least every 12 months, giving great weight to speeding and reckless driving as 49 CFR 391.25 requires, and keep it in the driver qualification file.
How Simplex helps you keep traffic violations off your record
The same few violations show up every year. We help you trace yours to the drivers and habits behind them.
CSA monitoring that names the driver
Our CSA program tracks your Unsafe Driving BASIC and helps you trace a rising score to the drivers and violations behind it.
Driving records reviewed on time
We build and maintain driver qualification files, including the yearly motor vehicle record review, so a second serious violation doesn't surprise you.
Inspection alerts and DataQs
Our compliance programs include inspection and violation alerts, CSA reporting, and DataQs requests for violations recorded in error.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common violations during Operation Safe Driver Week?+
Does a warning during Safe Driver Week count against my CSA score?+
Can one Safe Driver Week ticket disqualify a CDL?+
Which Safe Driver Week violations most often end in a ticket?+
Where this information comes from
The figures below come from CVSA's published Operation Safe Driver Week results, FMCSA's Safety Measurement System documents, and federal regulation, checked on October 20, 2026.
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1
CVSA — 2026 Operation Safe Driver Week results
2026 participation, totals, and warnings and citations by infraction and driver type.
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2
CVSA — 2025 Operation Safe Driver Week results
2025 warnings and citations by infraction and driver type, for comparison.
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3
CVSA — 2024 Operation Safe Driver Week results
2024 speeding, seat belt, and phone counts for commercial drivers.
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4
FMCSA — How the Safety Measurement System works
Inspection-report violations count whether the officer issues a citation or a warning.
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5
FMCSA — SMS Appendix A violation list
Severity weights for each Unsafe Driving violation, version 3.21.
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6
eCFR — 49 CFR 383.51
Serious traffic violations and the 60- and 120-day CDL disqualifications.
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7
eCFR — Appendix B to 49 CFR Part 386
Maximum federal civil penalties for drivers and carriers.
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8
CVSA — Operation Safe Driver Week
How the week works, and when CVSA will post the 2027 dates.
Written by
Gabriel Gonzalez
Chief Revenue Officer, Simplex Group
Chief Revenue Officer at Simplex Group, with more than 22 years at the company, including nearly 16 years as Chief Operating Officer. His background combines revenue strategy with deep operational experience, giving him a strong perspective on how compliance, risk, permits, cash flow, and operational readiness affect a carrier's ability to grow profitably.
Published · Updated
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The list barely changes, so your routine shouldn't either
Speeding, traffic control devices, seat belts, and phones led Safe Driver Week again in 2026. None of them is a seasonal rule, so the controls that prevent them belong in your policy and your dispatch every week of the year.
If you want help finding which drivers and habits sit behind your Unsafe Driving violations, talk to our team.