Driving RecordsPublished

How Traffic Tickets Affect CDL-A Job Opportunities

Learn how tickets, convictions, federal CDL disqualification rules, MVR entries, and individual carrier standards can affect CDL-A job opportunities.

18 min readLast reviewed: August 2026Information checked August 4, 2026

Quick Answer

A traffic ticket does not automatically disqualify a driver from every CDL-A job. First determine the final disposition, review the correct official motor vehicle record, and answer each application exactly as written.

Then separate three questions:

  1. Is your license currently valid, and are you legally permitted to operate?
  2. Does a federal rule require a CDL disqualification?
  3. Will a particular carrier accept the record under its current hiring standards?

These are not the same question. A ticket may fall short of a federal disqualification and still affect a carrier's hiring decision. A rejection from one carrier also does not establish that every carrier will make the same decision.

Start With Three Different Questions

Drivers and recruiters sometimes use the word "disqualifying" to describe several different outcomes. That can create unnecessary confusion.

1. Are you legally permitted to drive?

Your license status must allow you to operate the vehicle. A driver whose CDL or commercial driving privilege is suspended, revoked, cancelled, withdrawn, or disqualified cannot lawfully operate a CMV during that period.

Federal rules also prohibit a motor carrier from requiring or permitting a disqualified driver to operate. See 49 CFR §383.51 and 49 CFR §391.15.

2. Does federal law require a CDL disqualification?

Federal CDL rules identify particular major offenses, serious traffic violations, railroad-highway grade-crossing offenses, and violations of out-of-service orders. The required consequence depends on the offense, the type of vehicle involved, prior qualifying convictions, and the applicable time period.

Not every moving violation appears in these federal disqualification tables. Not every first offense produces a federal CDL disqualification.

3. Will a particular carrier hire the driver?

Carriers may use standards that are more selective than the federal minimum disqualification rules. A carrier may consider its current openings, insurance requirements, customer requirements, equipment, routes, the type of freight, and its own safety and hiring standards.

A driver can therefore have a valid CDL and no current federal disqualification but still fail to meet one carrier's hiring standard. That does not mean the driver is legally unqualified to operate, and it does not prove that every carrier will reject the record.

Is the license valid and the driver legally permitted to operate?

Who primarily determines it?
State licensing agency and applicable federal or state law
What the answer means
Whether the driver may lawfully operate the vehicle

Does a federal CDL disqualification apply?

Who primarily determines it?
Federal rules as implemented through the licensing system
What the answer means
Whether the driver must be disqualified from operating a CMV for a required period

Does this job accept the record?

Who primarily determines it?
The individual carrier applying its current standards
What the answer means
Whether the driver meets that carrier's requirements for that opening

A Ticket Is Not Always the Same as a Conviction

A ticket or citation generally begins an allegation or proceeding. It is not automatically the final result.

A case might end with:

  • A conviction
  • A guilty plea
  • A no-contest plea
  • Payment of a fine
  • Bond or collateral forfeiture
  • A dismissal
  • A reduction or amendment to a different charge
  • A court finding or administrative determination
  • Another state-specific disposition

For federal CDL purposes, conviction has a broader meaning than many drivers expect. The definition in 49 CFR §383.5 includes an unvacated adjudication of guilt, certain court or administrative findings, an accepted guilty or no-contest plea, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral, and payment of a fine or court cost, among other listed outcomes.

That means paying a ticket may have consequences beyond simply closing the case. Drivers with a pending matter should not assume that payment, a plea, diversion, or another resolution will be treated the same way in every state or under every applicable rule.

This article does not advise a driver whether to plead guilty, contest a citation, accept a reduction or diversion program, or hire an attorney. Those decisions can depend on state law, the charge, the evidence, the driver's history, and the possible CDL consequences.

Read the final disposition—not just the original citation

When discussing a case or reviewing a record, identify:

  1. 1.The original charge

  2. 2.The date and location of the event

  3. 3.Whether the vehicle was commercial or personal

  4. 4.The final charge, if it changed

  5. 5.The final disposition

  6. 6.The conviction or disposition date

  7. 7.Any points, suspension, revocation, cancellation, or disqualification

  8. 8.Whether the final result appears correctly on the MVR

A driver should describe the final result accurately. Saying "it was only a ticket" can be misleading if the case ended in a conviction. Saying "I was convicted of the original charge" can also be inaccurate if the charge was dismissed or amended.

Why Carriers Review Driving Records

Federal driver-qualification rules require covered motor carriers to investigate driving history and review employed drivers' motor vehicle records.

For a covered applicant, a prospective carrier generally must request an MVR from each licensing authority where the driver held a license or permit during the preceding three years. The carrier must also investigate certain prior safety-performance history. See 49 CFR §391.23.

For an employed driver, a covered carrier generally must obtain and review an MVR at least once every 12 months. The federal rule directs the carrier to consider accident history and evidence of motor-vehicle-law violations, giving great weight to conduct such as speeding, reckless driving, and driving under the influence that indicates disregard for public safety. See 49 CFR §391.25.

Those federal review duties do not create one nationwide carrier hiring policy. They also do not mean every carrier receives the same record product or applies the same acceptance limits.

What Can Matter in a Carrier's Hiring Review

A carrier may consider the complete record rather than one label in isolation. Relevant factors may include:

  • The final offense or disposition
  • Whether the case is still pending
  • Whether it happened in a CMV or personal vehicle
  • The violation date and conviction date
  • How far over the speed limit the driver was convicted of driving
  • Whether the event involved reckless conduct, distracted driving, a crash, injuries, a fatality, alcohol, drugs, or leaving the scene
  • Whether the driver's license was suspended, revoked, cancelled, or disqualified
  • Whether the event was isolated or part of a pattern
  • The number of separate incidents within the carrier's review period
  • Whether the MVR and application agree
  • The specific job, route, equipment, customer, and insurer requirements

No single factor guarantees acceptance or rejection. Even when two drivers use the same short description—such as "speeding ticket"—the records may be materially different.

Federal CDL Disqualification Rules and Carrier Standards Are Different

The main federal CDL disqualification categories are found in 49 CFR §383.51.

The following summaries are meant to help drivers recognize the categories. The actual table and the exact facts control.

Major offenses

The federal major-offense table includes:

  • Driving under the influence of alcohol as prescribed by state law
  • Driving under the influence of a controlled substance
  • Having an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater while operating a CMV
  • Refusing an alcohol test required under applicable implied-consent rules
  • Leaving the scene of an accident
  • Using a vehicle to commit a felony
  • Driving a CMV while the CDL or CLP is revoked, suspended, or cancelled, or while the driver is disqualified, when the status resulted from prior CMV violations
  • Causing a fatality through negligent operation of a CMV
  • Using a vehicle in a felony involving manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance
  • Using a CMV in a felony involving a severe form of trafficking in persons

For many of the listed major offenses, a first qualifying conviction results in a one-year CMV disqualification. A first qualifying offense while operating a CMV transporting hazardous materials as defined in the rule generally carries a three-year disqualification. A second qualifying major offense in a separate incident can result in lifetime disqualification.

Some rows apply to both CMV and non-CMV conduct by a CDL holder; others apply only when a CMV was involved. Certain controlled-substance and trafficking felonies carry lifetime disqualification without eligibility for the ten-year reinstatement provision described in the rule.

Do not use the general summary to decide a specific case. Read the applicable row of the current federal table and confirm the resulting status with the licensing agency.

Serious traffic violations

The federal serious-traffic-violation table includes:

  • Speeding 15 mph or more above the regulated or posted limit
  • Reckless driving as defined by state or local law
  • Improper or erratic lane changes
  • Following too closely
  • A motor-vehicle traffic-control violation, other than parking, arising in connection with a fatal accident
  • Driving a CMV without first obtaining a required CLP or CDL
  • Driving a CMV without the CLP or CDL in the driver's possession, subject to the proof provision in the rule
  • Driving a CMV without the proper license class or endorsement
  • Violating a traffic-control law prohibiting texting while driving a CMV
  • Violating a traffic-control law restricting or prohibiting handheld mobile-phone use while driving a CMV

Under the federal table:

  • A first serious traffic violation does not by itself create the 60-day disqualification in this table.
  • A second qualifying conviction, from a separate incident within three years, results in a 60-day CMV disqualification.
  • A third or subsequent qualifying conviction, from a separate incident within three years, results in a 120-day CMV disqualification.

All listed serious traffic violations committed in a CMV are considered under the table. For a serious violation committed in a non-CMV, the federal table applies the 60- or 120-day consequence only when the conviction results in revocation, cancellation, or suspension of the CDL holder's license or non-CMV driving privileges. FMCSA summarizes these rules on its CDL state-program page.

Railroad-highway grade-crossing offenses

The federal table contains specific railroad-highway grade-crossing offenses committed while operating a CMV. Examples include failing to slow and verify that tracks are clear when a stop is not always required, failing to stop when required, disobeying a traffic-control device, entering without enough room to clear the tracks, and failing to negotiate a crossing because of insufficient undercarriage clearance.

The table provides a disqualification of at least:

  • 60 days for a first conviction
  • 120 days for a second conviction in a separate incident within three years
  • One year for a third or subsequent conviction in a separate incident within three years

Violating an out-of-service order

Conviction for violating a driver or vehicle out-of-service order while operating a CMV can produce a federal disqualification even on a first offense.

Under the current Part 383 table, the period depends on the number of separate incidents within ten years and whether the driver was transporting hazardous materials or operating a passenger vehicle covered by the rule. A first conviction can result in a disqualification ranging from 180 days to one year, or from 180 days to two years for the hazardous-materials or passenger category. Later convictions carry longer ranges.

Loss of driving privileges also matters

Separate from the Part 383 tables, 49 CFR §391.15 disqualifies a covered driver for the duration of the loss of the privilege to operate a CMV on public highways until the authority that imposed the loss restores it.

A driver should never assume that a suspension is harmless because the underlying ticket seems minor. Verify the current license status before driving.

Does a Ticket in a Personal Vehicle Matter?

It can.

Some federal CDL consequences apply to convictions that occurred in a non-CMV, while others apply only to CMV conduct. The exact row in the federal table matters.

A personal-vehicle conviction may also:

  • Appear on the state driving record
  • Affect the driver's noncommercial driving privilege
  • Trigger a duty to notify a current employer
  • Fall within a carrier's hiring standard
  • Be included in an employment background report
  • Combine with another qualifying conviction for a federal consequence when the rule's conditions are met

Federal law does not support the broad statement that personal-vehicle tickets never count. It also does not support treating every personal-vehicle violation exactly as if it occurred in a CMV.

When reviewing the record, confirm whether the state correctly identified the vehicle as commercial or noncommercial.

Speeding: The Exact Conviction Matters

Under the federal definition, excessive speeding means 15 mph or more above the regulated or posted speed limit. A conviction for 14 mph over is therefore not the federal "speeding excessively" serious traffic violation listed in §383.51.

That does not mean a 14-over conviction is irrelevant. It can still appear on the MVR, fall within an application question, affect state points or license status, and exceed a carrier's own hiring standard.

When discussing a speeding case, use the speed reflected in the final conviction or disposition—not merely the speed on the original citation if the charge changed.

Also confirm whether the carrier's question asks about:

  • Any speeding conviction
  • Speeding above a stated threshold
  • The original alleged speed
  • The final conviction
  • Moving violations during a stated period
  • Suspensions or reckless-driving convictions

Do not substitute one question for another.

State Points Are Not the Federal CDL Disqualification System

States create and administer their own point systems. Point values, thresholds, lookback periods, and terminology differ.

Federal CDL disqualifications under §383.51 are based on specified convictions and conditions—not on one universal national point limit.

That means:

  • The same offense may carry different state points in different states.
  • A carrier may consider the underlying conviction without using the state's point total.
  • Points may stop counting for one state purpose while the entry remains visible on a record.
  • A zero-point disposition is not automatically invisible to a carrier.
  • A clean or low point total does not guarantee that a driver meets a carrier's standard.

Use the state licensing agency's official guidance to understand state points. Use the federal regulation to understand federal CDL disqualification categories. Ask the carrier or recruiter about the standard for a specific current opening.

There Is No Universal Ticket Lookback Period

There is no nationwide rule that every traffic ticket disappears from every MVR, application, screening report, and carrier review after the same number of years.

The answer can depend on:

  • The licensing state
  • The offense or disposition
  • The type of MVR ordered
  • State retention and disclosure rules
  • The carrier's application question
  • The carrier's current hiring standard
  • The source and permissible scope of an employment background report

Federal rules do use specific periods for specific purposes. For example, §391.21 requires certain covered driver applications to list motor-vehicle-law convictions and bond or collateral forfeitures during the preceding three years, while allowing a carrier to request additional information. Section 391.23 generally requires a covered carrier to obtain prior three-year MVR history from licensing authorities where the driver held a license or permit. Those requirements do not establish that every record contains only three years or that every carrier considers only three years.

Learn more in How to Get and Review Your Motor Vehicle Record (MVR).

Pending Tickets

A pending citation is not necessarily a final conviction. But "not yet convicted" does not mean the matter is irrelevant to every application.

A carrier may ask about pending charges, unresolved citations, scheduled court appearances, anticipated license actions, or recent events. It may wait for the final disposition before completing a hiring decision.

For a pending case:

  • Read each application question carefully.
  • Do not report a pending charge as a conviction unless the question or applicable definition requires it.
  • Do not omit the matter when the application specifically asks about pending or unresolved cases.
  • Keep the recruiter updated if the disposition changes while the application is under review.
  • Seek qualified legal advice if you need help understanding the consequences of a proposed resolution.

America First Logistics cannot advise a driver how to resolve a pending case or predict what the court will do.

Dismissed, Reduced, Amended, and Diversion Cases

The final court record matters.

If a case was dismissed, preserve the official disposition showing the dismissal. If the charge was reduced or amended, preserve a record that clearly shows both the final charge and final result.

Do not assume a dismissal, amendment, or diversion will be described the same way on every state record or employment report.

Federal rules also limit states' ability to conceal convictions involving CDL or CLP holders. Under 49 CFR §384.226, a state may not mask, defer judgment, or allow a diversion program that prevents a CDL or CLP holder's conviction for a traffic-control-law violation—other than the listed parking, vehicle-weight, or vehicle-defect exceptions—from appearing on the CDLIS driver record.

That anti-masking rule concerns convictions. Whether a particular resolution is a conviction, and how a state may lawfully resolve a pending charge, can be a fact-specific legal question.

If the final disposition and MVR do not agree, contact the court and state licensing agency. Do not rely only on a verbal explanation from the courthouse or a screenshot from an unofficial website.

Answer Applications Accurately

Under 49 CFR §391.21, a covered motor-carrier application must request specified information, including motor-vehicle accidents during the preceding three years; motor-vehicle-law convictions or bond or collateral forfeitures during the preceding three years, other than parking-only violations; and details about any denial, revocation, or suspension of driving privileges. The carrier may request additional information.

Read the time period and wording on the actual application. It may ask about:

  • Tickets
  • Citations
  • Convictions
  • Moving violations
  • Pending charges
  • Accidents or crashes
  • Suspensions, revocations, cancellations, or disqualifications
  • Particular offenses such as reckless driving or DUI

These terms are not interchangeable.

Practical rules for completing an application:

  1. 1.Answer the question that was asked.

  2. 2.Use the final disposition when the question asks about convictions.

  3. 3.Include pending matters when the question asks for them.

  4. 4.Do not change a date or description to make the record appear more favorable.

  5. 5.Do not guess. Obtain the MVR or court record when you are unsure.

  6. 6.If you discover an honest mistake after submitting, correct it promptly.

  7. 7.Keep a copy of the completed application or the information you submitted.

An omission or inconsistent description can create a separate credibility problem even when the underlying violation might have been acceptable.

When a CDL Driver Must Notify a Current Employer

Federal notification duties can apply even when the violation occurred in a personal vehicle.

Under 49 CFR §383.31, a person who operates a CMV, holds a CDL, and is convicted of a state or local motor-vehicle traffic-control-law violation—other than parking—must notify the current employer in writing within 30 days. The required notice includes the driver's identifying information, date and nature of the conviction, any resulting loss of privileges, whether a CMV was involved, the location, and the driver's signature.

Under 49 CFR §383.33, an employee who receives notice that a license was suspended, revoked, or cancelled, or that the right to operate a CMV was lost or the driver was disqualified, must notify the current employer before the end of the next business day.

The current federal text of §383.31 addresses notice to the employer. State law or a state agency may impose additional duties or procedures. Check the current instructions of the state that issued the license.

What to Do After a Ticket Is Resolved

  1. Obtain the final court disposition

    Request the official document showing the final charge and result. Do not rely only on memory, the original citation, or a payment receipt.

  2. Confirm your license status

    If the case caused or may cause a suspension, revocation, cancellation, or disqualification, check directly with the state licensing agency. Do not drive until you know you are legally permitted to do so.

  3. Order the correct MVR

    Use the official licensing agency for the state that issued the license. Compare the available record types before ordering. A short license-status record may not contain the history you need to review.

  4. Compare the MVR with the disposition

    Check:

    • Your identity
    • The offense and state code
    • The violation date
    • The conviction or disposition date
    • The court or jurisdiction
    • Whether the vehicle was listed as commercial or personal
    • The final result
    • Any points or license action
    • Whether the same event appears more than once

  5. Review any employment screening report

    If a carrier says a report contains information that does not match your records, obtain the actual report when available. A third-party background report may reproduce, summarize, or match state information incorrectly.

  6. Correct the system that is actually wrong

    Do not file the same request everywhere without first identifying the source of the error.

  7. Recheck the record

    After an agency or reporting company says a correction is complete, obtain a fresh copy and verify the change. A submission receipt proves that you submitted something; it does not prove that the record was corrected.

Where Correction Normally Begins

The official court disposition is wrong or incomplete

Where to begin
The court that handled the case, following its official procedure
Helpful evidence
Court filings, orders, docket information, and identity documents requested by the court

The court disposition is correct, but the official state MVR is wrong

Where to begin
The state driver-licensing agency and, if directed, the source court
Helpful evidence
Certified disposition, MVR, reinstatement notice, and state correction form

The official MVR is correct, but an employment background report is wrong

Where to begin
The consumer reporting company that produced the report
Helpful evidence
Correct MVR, disposition, identity-match information, and the disputed report

FMCSA crash or roadside-inspection data is wrong

Where to begin
FMCSA DataQs or the responsible reporting agency
Helpful evidence
Inspection report, crash documents, court record, photographs, or other documents relevant to that data

A DAC employment-history entry is wrong

Where to begin
HireRight and, when appropriate, the employer that furnished the information
Helpful evidence
DAC report, employment records, correspondence, and supporting documents

Correcting one system may not automatically update every other system.

For example, a corrected court disposition may still need to be transmitted to the state licensing agency. A screening company may need a separate dispute if it previously produced an inaccurate report. A corrected screening report does not itself change the court's record or the official MVR.

Why DataQs Usually Cannot Correct a Ticket or MVR Conviction

FMCSA DataQs is a process for requesting review of certain data in FMCSA safety systems, including specified crash, inspection, compliance, audit, and enforcement information.

It is not a general traffic-court or state-MVR correction portal.

Use this distinction:

  • Court disposition problem: Begin with the court.
  • State MVR problem: Begin with the state licensing agency or the source the agency identifies.
  • Employment-screening problem: Dispute with the screening company.
  • FMCSA crash or roadside-inspection problem: Review the DataQs process.

An event can appear in more than one system. Correcting FMCSA data does not automatically change a state conviction, and correcting a state MVR does not necessarily change a previously issued background report.

Employment Background Reports and Driver Rights

When an employer uses a third-party consumer reporting company, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act generally requires disclosure and authorization and provides rights concerning inaccurate or incomplete information.

Under the general employment process, an employer ordinarily must provide a copy of the report and a summary of rights before taking adverse action based partly or entirely on the report. A limited, fact-specific procedure can apply to certain transportation-regulated positions when the application interaction occurred only by mail, telephone, computer, or similar means. State and local laws may provide additional rights.

If an employment report is inaccurate:

  1. Obtain the actual report.
  2. Identify the reporting company.
  3. Identify the exact inaccurate or incomplete entry.
  4. Compare it with the official MVR and court disposition.
  5. Submit a dispute through the reporting company's official process.
  6. Preserve everything submitted and the company's response.
  7. Review any corrected report.
  8. Ask about sending the corrected report to the employer that received the inaccurate version.

An accurate entry is not inaccurate merely because it affects a job opportunity. Disputes should identify information that is mismatched, duplicated, incomplete, outdated, or otherwise wrong.

See the FTC's employment background-check guidance and the CFPB's consumer reporting company list.

Practical Steps Before Applying Again

After confirming the final result and current record:

  1. Know the exact entry

    Be able to state the final offense, dates, state, vehicle type, and final disposition accurately.

  2. Confirm your current license status

    Do not assume that payment or reinstatement paperwork has already updated the state system.

  3. Use the correct MVR

    Review the full or commercial product appropriate for your purpose.

  4. Prepare a short factual explanation

    State what happened and how it ended without minimizing, blaming, or adding unnecessary personal details.

  5. Tell the truth early

    A recruiter cannot compare realistic options using incomplete or inaccurate information.

  6. Update the recruiter when something changes

    A pending case, new disposition, corrected MVR, or restored license status can materially change the review.

  7. Let the carrier make its own decision

    Do not assume that one recruiter's general experience overrides a carrier's current qualification review.

A useful way to describe an entry

Example

A clear summary might include:

  • "The violation was in my personal vehicle in Missouri."
  • "The citation was issued on [date]."
  • "The final conviction was [exact offense] on [date]."
  • "The original charge was amended to [final charge]."
  • "The case was dismissed, and I have the final court disposition."
  • "My license is currently valid."
  • "I disputed an incorrect duplicate entry and have a revised MVR."

Only use statements that are true and supported by the record.

What Documents to Preserve

Keep a private file containing:

  • The original citation
  • The final court disposition
  • Any amended charge or order
  • Proof of dismissal, when applicable
  • Payment records
  • Attorney correspondence you are entitled to retain
  • Suspension, revocation, cancellation, or disqualification notices
  • Reinstatement documents
  • The MVR and the date it was ordered
  • The state's description of the MVR product
  • The state code key or legend
  • Any employment background report
  • Correction or dispute forms
  • Copies of everything submitted
  • Mailing receipts and electronic confirmation numbers
  • Agency and reporting-company responses
  • A fresh record showing a completed correction
  • A copy of the information supplied on job applications

Do not alter an original MVR, court record, or screening report. If you want to highlight entries, work from a separate copy.

What America First Logistics Can and Cannot Do

America First Logistics helps CDL-A drivers compare regional and OTR opportunities from our carriers based on experience, location, background, and home-time needs.

We can:

  • Explain general differences among tickets, convictions, MVRs, PSP reports, DAC reports, DataQs, Clearinghouse records, and employment background reports.
  • Listen to a driver's accurate description of the relevant entry.
  • Compare available regional and OTR opportunities from our carriers using the information the driver provides.
  • Tell a driver when a current opening does not appear to fit the stated record.
  • Direct drivers to official resources.

We cannot:

  • Give legal advice.
  • Interpret a court order as an attorney.
  • Predict the outcome of a pending case.
  • Access, order, change, or correct a private driving record.
  • Change a ticket or conviction.
  • File a dispute or court action for a driver.
  • Guarantee that a carrier or insurer will accept a record.
  • Guarantee hiring.

Protect your private information

Do not send America First Logistics:

  • Your complete MVR
  • Your Social Security number
  • A driver's-license image
  • Court-portal or state-portal credentials
  • Passwords
  • Identity-verification documents

You may describe the relevant event, final disposition, dates, and current license status to a recruiter in your own words.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Resources

RELATED DRIVER RESOURCES

Information note: Information checked August 4, 2026. This article contains the best information America First Logistics could verify from official sources as of the date shown. Federal regulations, state laws, court procedures, reporting practices, record types, carrier standards, insurance requirements, and agency guidance can change. Check the linked official resources and the current instructions from the court and state licensing agency before relying on a procedure, definition, or deadline. This article provides general educational information for CDL drivers. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client, employment, or consumer-reporting relationship. A driver facing a pending case, license action, missed deadline, or question about a specific disposition may need advice from a qualified attorney in the appropriate jurisdiction. America First Logistics cannot guarantee that a carrier will accept a violation, that a record will be corrected, that a dispute will be decided in the driver's favor, or that any driver will qualify for a particular opening.

Need Help Finding a Driving Opportunity?

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Send us your city and state, and we'll tell you what's available.

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