Sec. 9. (a) A person who owns a motor vehicle and is convicted the following number of times is subject to the following penalties:

(1) For five (5) times in a year of violating IC 9-20-4-1(a), suspension for five (5) days from the use of the highways, and if subject to the jurisdiction of the department of state revenue, the person's permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority issued by the department shall be suspended for the same period of time on receipt by the department of certified copies of the five (5) convictions. The suspension of the permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority runs concurrently.

(2) For ten (10) times in a year of violating IC 9-20-4-1(a), suspension for ten (10) days from the use of the highways and the person's permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority issued by the department of state revenue under IC 8-2.1 shall be suspended for the same period of time upon receipt by the department of certified copies of the ten (10) convictions. The suspension of the permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority runs concurrently.

(3) For fifteen (15) times in a year of violating IC 9-20-4-1(a), suspension for thirty (30) days from the use of the highways and the person's permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority issued by the department of state revenue under IC 8-2.1 shall be suspended for the same period of time upon receipt by the department of certified copies of the fifteen (15) convictions. The suspension of the permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority runs concurrently.

(4) For more than fifteen (15) times in a year of violating IC 9-20-4-1(a), for each additional five (5) convictions in excess of fifteen (15), suspension for five (5) days from the use of the highways and the person's permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority issued by the department of state revenue under IC 8-2.1 shall be suspended for the same period of time upon receipt by the department of certified copies of the additional convictions. The suspension of the permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority runs concurrently.

(b) A court shall immediately, upon conviction of a person who owns or operates a motor vehicle of violating IC 9-20-4-1(a), send the bureau of the department of state revenue a certified copy of the judgment of the court setting forth the following:

(1) The name of the person who owns the vehicle.

(2) The date of the violation.

(3) The amount of fine levied.

The bureau shall keep a record of all convictions in the bureau's office.

(c) After the number of convictions has been certified to the bureau of the department of state revenue, the bureau shall send by certified mail to the person against whom the convictions have accumulated a notice to appear before the department of state revenue for the following purposes:

(1) To show cause why a suspension should not be assessed.

(2) To advise the person of a date on which the department will conduct the hearing. The date must not be less than twenty (20) days from the date of the sending of the certified letter.

The department shall conduct the proceeding in accordance with IC 8-2.1.

(d) If after the proceeding the department of state revenue finds that the permit, registration, certificate, or certificate of authority should be suspended, the department shall do the following:

(1) Issue an order within thirty (30) days from the date of the conclusion of the proceeding.

(2) Serve upon the person a certified copy of the order of suspension by certified mail.

If the department finds that a suspension is not justified, the department shall serve an order upon the person affected. All rights of appeal from the orders of the department are subject to appeal as provided by IC 8-2.1.

(e) If a private carrier not under the jurisdiction of the department of state revenue is convicted under this article, the court shall immediately certify the convictions to the bureau. The bureau shall keep a record of the convictions in the same manner as provided for the department of state revenue.

(f) After the number of convictions on a person operating as a private carrier not under the jurisdiction of the department of state revenue has been certified to the bureau, the bureau shall send by certified mail to the person a notice to appear before the department to show cause why the person should not have the suspensions assessed. All provisions for the notice of the citation proceedings, together with the rights of compelling the attendance of witnesses, swearing of witnesses, taking testimony of witnesses, and of issuing an order, are the same before the bureau for private carriers as are provided before the department for public carriers, but the procedure to govern the hearings is the same as other similar hearings.

[Pre-1991 Recodification Citation: 9-8-1-14.1.]

As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.