New York Increases Penalty Points: From February 16, 2026, Bridge Strikes and Over-Height Violations Get 8 Points

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYS DMV) will implement increased penalty points for a range of traffic violations starting February 16, 2026, while also extending the period within which a driver can be deemed a 'persistent violator' from 18 to 24 months. This update, outlined in the DMV's official notice dated February 5, is positioned as a measure against repeat and systematically dangerous driving behaviors, emphasizing safety for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. The official DMV announcement is available on the department's website in the article DMV Reminds New Yorkers of Updated Point Values for Driving Violations.

For commercial carriers and fleet owners, the key news is that violations that previously did not 'consume' points on a license (particularly those related to height and bridge strikes) now sharply increase the risk of rapid point accumulation for drivers. This affects not only the individual fate of a CDL/license in the state but also staffing stability, insurance conditions, and internal disciplinary policies of companies operating in New York or regularly transiting the state.

According to the DMV list, the following values are introduced (or increased) from the specified date:

Alcohol- or drug-related convictions/incidents: from 0 to 11 points.
Aggravated Unlicensed Operation: from 0 to 11 points.
Passing/overtaking a stopped school bus: from 5 to 8 points.
Speeding in a work zone: instead of a 'depending on excess' gradation — a fixed 8 points.
Over-height vehicle / bridge strike: from 0 to 8 points.
Leaving the scene of a personal injury crash: from 3 to 5 points.
Failure to exercise due care: from 2 to 5 points.
Facilitating aggravated unlicensed operation: from 0 to 5 points.
Speed contests and races: from 0 to 5 points.

The DMV separately emphasizes that not everything is changing: for example, violations related to the use of mobile phones/portable devices remain at 5 points; 'equipment violations' are still assessed at 0 points. For fleets, this is an important nuance: the reform focuses on dangerous and recurring behavior patterns and specific high-risk events, rather than a mass revision of the entire table 'for minor issues.'

The second part of the changes is the extension of the violation accounting period for DMV actions against persistent violators: it is now 24 months instead of 18. Practically, this means that a driver who 'gets caught' for a serious violation once a year has increased chances of falling into the administrative measures zone: events remain 'active' for calculation longer.

In the state's regulatory materials on this topic, it was previously directly indicated that extending the window could increase the number of drivers falling into the persistent violators category by approximately 40%. This is an important figure for HR and safety departments of carriers: even if discipline does not deteriorate, the 'mathematics' of the system will start working more often simply because of the longer tail of violation history.

Meanwhile, confusion has already arisen in the industry around thresholds and wording: some local sources and county-level press releases mentioned '10 points in 24 months' as a trigger, whereas the available regulatory texts and DMV pages historically featured an 11-point threshold (previously in an 18-month window). In its February notice, the DMV emphasizes the change in point values and the window itself but does not explicitly repeat the updated point threshold, so carriers building 'red line' policies on points will have to refer to current DMV instructions and driver notification/sanction practices after February 16.

The translation of 'over-height/bridge strike' into the 8-point violation category is the most sensitive change for the freight segment. Previously, such episodes could be costly for the driver in direct expenses (damage, downtime, towing, insurance, claims from infrastructure operators) but did not accelerate the path to DMV administrative measures through the point system. Now, a bridge strike begins to act as an 'accelerator' for point accumulation on a license.

For safety managers, this means that a low bridge accident ceases to be solely a claims/maintenance-level incident and becomes a driver eligibility-level incident. With 8 points, one height episode combined, for example, with a work zone violation (another 8 points) or passing a school bus (8 points) turns the calendar 24 months into a very short corridor for maintaining a 'clean' license. Even less severe 5-point events (due care, leaving the scene with injuries) in the new configuration bring the driver closer to the threshold, which previously might have required 'several fines,' but now is reached by a combination of 1–2 serious episodes.

The tightening of points for over-height/bridge strike fits into the state's broader line of combating bridge strikes and 'low clearances.' In official state executive materials, the scale was emphasized: 350 bridge strikes were reported statewide in 2024, and typical causes were noted — from not knowing the height of one's vehicle to following routes suggested by consumer GPS applications. These data and emphases were presented in the governor's office announcement about a coordinated awareness and control campaign, where among the messages was the need to check height and not rely on 'ordinary' navigation for commercial transport: Governor Hochul announces New York’s participation in coordinated public awareness and enforcement.

For the transportation market, this is a signal that the topic is at the top level of the agenda. When a problem is publicly 'digitized' and tied to an enforcement/awareness campaign, the likelihood of targeted inspections, attention to routing, and strictness in interpreting circumstances (including by insurers and infrastructure operators) usually increases.

The fixation of 8 points for speeding in a work zone is another point of pressure on the freight segment. In New York conditions, where work zones often become 'bottlenecks' on highways and approaches to metropolises, this is where the temptation to 'save minutes' often arises. With the new DMV approach, the cost of these minutes sharply increases: a work zone violation becomes comparable in points to passing a school bus and with over-height/bridge strike.

The jump to 11 points for alcohol/drugs and aggravated unlicensed operation looks like an attempt to close a 'gap' in the point logic: previously zero values for such episodes in the point system were dissonant with the real severity of the consequences for safety. For carriers, this increases the value of pre-trip control and a documented policy on substance-related risks: any history now is not just a 'stain' in the biography, but potentially an almost instant reach of threshold values.

Some media and local sources described the reform as broader and provided additional figures for points for other violations. However, the official DMV list in February 2026 contains a limited list of specific articles for which points are increased and separately notes that, for example, 'mobile devices' remain at the previous level, and 'equipment' does not receive points. In this situation, it is more reasonable for carriers and drivers working in New York to focus on the DMV's wording and lists themselves rather than on retellings.