A revised points system for driving violations in New York state that has gone into effect in recent weeks doesn’t target truck drivers, but a regional attorney is warning that drivers of those vehicles are at significant risk of being caught up in the more stringent regulatory agenda.

In a recent blog post on his law firm's website, Adam Rosenblum, a New Jersey-based attorney of the Rosenblum Law Firm who does work in both New York and the Garden State, summed up the tougher landscape.

“New York’s overhaul is not a minor policy tweak — it is the most aggressive tightening of driving penalties the state has ever implemented,” he wrote. “Even one ticket that used to be considered routine can now result in license suspension.”

In an interview with FreightWave, Rosenblum stressed that the rules are the same for truck drivers and automobile drivers. But given the sheer amount of time a truck driver spends on the road, and the drastic impact of a truck driver having their livelihood put at risk by a suspension, Rosenblum said truck drivers are more exposed to the new rules.

Violations Sticking Around Longer

Rosenblum said one of the biggest changes in New York—which he described as having one of the most stringent regimes of any of the 50 states—is the extension of the “lookback” period to 24 months from 18 months.

The lookback period is defined as the length of time a violation stays on a driver’s total points violations. A tot