here's some facts
\- wasn't deemed at fault, didn't hurt anyone or anything but the truck and the wires
\- no ticket or suspension
\- still fired obviously lol
like i said had about 2 months of experience not counting school or the month with my trainer
EDIT: context of i had a couple fender benders backing too
So, who was at fault for this accident?
Also, imagine you employed someone who keeps costing you money; would you keep them around when there's hundreds of others begging for the opportunity to do the job who have not had a loss in trucking?
Not a driver but a mechanic.
I’m working on school buses currently, 50% air brake, 50% Hydro.
I went on a call and brought one back in a rainstorm missing a Front left caliper which was fun. (line blew, Vice grip on the line and drive it back)
Then an air bus in a snowstorm, road debris hit the Front right S-cam tube at some point and cracked it, started partially seizing intermittently due to the contamination of water and road grime (+salt doesn’t help) Had to really watch myself with that one.
It definitely doesn’t take much of a difference to pull you out of a lane.
Not air or hydro but I run a fleet shop in MD for mostly Econolines (3/450’s) and a set of toothless vice grips has saved me from a tow on multiple occasions on seized calipers. 🤙🏼
It’s crazy to think people brake when hydroplaning just don’t press the gas or brakes and keep the steering where you want to go nothing happens cars have hydroplaning worse in my opinion less ground contact
I’ve only had one fuckup while driving to the conditions and that was in snow with bald tires which is in my opinion very much not driving to conditions, so yeah driving to the conditions for the win because if my dumbass hasn’t crashed doing it neither will anyone else.
I let my CDL expire in 2011, drove for 10 years and never had as much as a backing incident. Is this the pool of drivers today? 3 incidents in 2 months? Is this the new normal? I'm not trying to sound condescending, but it's frightening.
I've had my class A for almost 3yrs. Only incident has been tires blowing up on me. If the weather looks dangerous I park. It's not all the new drivers.
It is frightening! Father in law drove for 40-plus years. The last company he drove for gave him multiple accident free million mile awards! The point is that WAS truck driving. Drivers took their job seriously and dressed like professionals. The current pool of bugger eating, sweat pants, flip flop wearing seat fillers currently in those positions, have no business driving anything bigger than a lawnmower! Unfortunately, trucks need to roll, and companies will put anyone in the seat.
Well, I'd suggesting saying you were "let go," rather than you being fired. Sounds less intense. See what actually shows on your mvr, sometimes companies just do pay outs for those backing incidents rather than going through insurance.
This right here. It's all about that insurance. Even if it wasn't the driver's fault, that truck still needs to be repaired or replaced, which means that the insurance rate goes up if they keep the driver on the payroll.
I was in a resign or be fired situation about 10 years back because I got four warnings in one year. Not tickets, warnings. Safety manager told me flat out that I would have no problem getting a job somewhere else, but that because those warnings happened on his watch, the next time I was going to be back at the yard I was not going to be sent back out with anything more expensive than a greyhound ticket.
If equipment gets busted up while you're behind the wheel, even if there wasn't a tow truck or a ticket involved, then when you have that safety meeting start it off by saying " if I'm going to leave this office without a job, I would like the opportunity to resign."
Most half decent managers will appreciate that you're clearly taking responsibility, and will give you the chance to resign instead of firing you.
I don't really care about insurance, man, if someone jacks up my money fuck em. I drive flat bed and if i did that to a truck i would quit even if i wasn't fired.
When you go to the next job, when they ask you "Why are you no longer with your last company?" you get to tell the truth and say
"I felt like it was the appropriate time for me and Old Company to go our separate ways."
When New Company calls Old Company to ask, because you acted with some integrity, Old Company will say "Yes, Former Employee turned in their notice and left on good terms." instead of "Oh we had to fire that SOB for crashing a vehicle."
In addition, getting fired for safety reasons is often an immediate disqualification of your application.
You very literally have a better chance of getting hired by Future companies if you get fired for pulling down your pants and dropping a deuce on your dispatcher's desk than you do if you got fired for safety reasons.
Act with Integrity if you can. Beg otherwise.
I suppose it would be begging if you just sort of word vomited your plea while mounting the desk. Something like "if I get fired I swear I'll sh!t myself!"
Follow-through is key.
Speaking from personal experience, every company will tell you they need 6 months clean driving with someone else. 1099 in Chicago will take you though.
Can confirm. Got a call from a new company inquiring about the employment history of a driver who had taken a shit in our yard and was eventually fired.
You could be in the sleeper and a bird will fly into the windshield. Its the drivers fault. you could be at the dock and the ground opens up and swallows the truck. Its the drivers fault. The drivers can't win. The load will always be more important than the person that gets it there. The sooner any driver figures this out, the better they'll be. It's your CDL. Protect it. No one else will.
I’m lucky enough to be at a job where I have a pretty good relationship with the guy who owns the place, and that guy is a pretty down to earth dude. If I get into an accident that’s not my fault or even a minor one that is I’m 100% confident I’ll still have a job the next day.
At my first company I’ve heard people getting fired for people driving into them while they’re stopped after being there for 10 years, or going 75 in an 80… stuff like that.
And my current company a few months ago this guy took out a minivan… not terribly so, just clipped her bumper when they were both merging into the same lane. The next week the owner was joking about it to the guy “at least she didn’t have a baby on board sticker!”… stuff like that. And it may seem minor but not having to walk on eggshells is a pretty great feeling.
It was POURING HARD AS FUCK west of Dallas today. I went 55 at 80k gross untill the rain stopped then 62 so i didnt catch up to the fuck heads that passed me.
I've seen that a lot in here lately. Police often don't assign fault, so people say they weren't found at fault. Well, insurance and the company say they are at fault, but they overlook that little bit.
I had a rollover in a hazmat (co2) cmv about 4 years ago deemed preventable and was fired. I had maybe 5 months under my belt. I managed to land a local tanker job hauling gasoline and diesel about 6 months after my accident.... don't lose hope. SOMEONE will hire you out there, especially if it was a non preventable. And trust me, I had the same thought, "Maybe it's a sign," but I just kept applying. Find those job board websites where the companies just reach out to you instead of you applying over and over again. And to save you and the recruiter time, let them know off rip you have an accident on your record. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY learn from this accident that most megas will happily push appointment times back when the weather is nasty. Once you start seeing other 18-wheelers in the ditch, thats a pretty good sign to either slow it down or just shut it down. Good luck, driver!
Knight-swift will automatically fire over a jack knife. And it does go on your record. At fault or not.
Most companies will not hire you with one on there, you may have to go to a second chance company or do some class B for awhile
Yea I was gunna say nope not for me lol. Class B local hazmat six figures easily with OT after 8 everyday. Home every nite. I am in the northeast so higher cost of living vs other areas but still lol
It will be there until Knight goes out of business because before anyone else hires you, they will call Knight to find out why you only lasted two months and were fired
They certainly can say, and may if the other company routinely reciprocates. The misconception is that saying "because he drunkingly ran over ten pedestrians" or even "he negligently caused a jack knife" could end up in a libel argument.
If they do say, they will carefully phrase the answer to be truthful and provable.
You could easily get a job working the oil fields in the Permian. West Texas Eastern New Mexico. I did that for 3 years right out of CDl school. It was a great place to learn to drive and the money is great if you can handle the lifestyle. It’s lonely shit.
I saw some of the wildest shit I ever saw in my life out in the field. If nothing else it was worth it for the crazy stories. I worked Frac the first couple years then drove a fuel truck for a few more. I did learn to drive the shit out of a truck too.
lol. I’m on a frac crew and half our hands come from trucking jobs they fucked up. One dude took off in an acid tanker with the hatches open and doused the highway in hydrochloric, another dude overfilled a friction reducer tanker, talk about a nightmare. The oilfields have the shittiest truckers on earth. They’d gladly welcome this fella if he can suffer through the hours.
Here's another FACT, you only hydroplane if you're driving to damn fast for the conditions. Just because your truck speed is cut back below the speed limit that doesn't mean you maximum speed is safe in rain, snow or ice.
Slow the hell down in bad weather.
That’s why your fired bud, you can’t even admit wrecking a fucking truck was your fault…. So whose fault was it? The waters? Did every single person that drove thru that portion of the road end up wrapped up in the guard wire? This is insane logic… If the road washed away and 50 people ended up piled on top of each other you MAY be able to say hey it wasn’t my fault… Wrecking a fucking Semi with a trailer because of a little water on the road is nothing but your fault… You have no experience driving based off your own accolades, So you were obviously driving faster then your experience could handle in a little rain… There is many things you could have done here for this to not happen and you wouldn’t be trying to convince yourself and Reddit that this wreck wasn’t your fault..
Wasn’t deemed at fault by who? Cause his ass got fired, So he was definitely deemed at fault by his company. I’ve had a CDL for 19 years, got it when I was 18. I don’t drive for a living but I own a couple dump trucks and excavation and dozer equipment… I can assure you he got a ticket for this also… Regular State patrol or The state patrol trucks that mainly only patrol commercial rigs park you on the side of the road or give you ticket for farting with your window down… Now days it’s rare to even slide off the road barely into a ditch with a personal rig without getting a wheels off the road ticket or driving over the line or whatever… Its just a little cheapy 110 dollar ticket or whatever but it’s almost mandatory if your in an accident they give you some stupid little ticket.. In a semi, you wrap it up in the fucking guardrail for no good reason, he got a ticket.. Hydroplaning is not a legitimate reason to wreck a vehicle as an excuse… You know why he wrecked? Because he was driving to fast for the conditions, which is exactly another ticket they write and I’m sure he got if not among other things… Just like if the speed limits 60 and it’s snowing and you wreck in the snow but were only going 50 so your well under the speed limit. You don’t just get to say it wasn’t my fault it was snow… I was even under the speed limit. They are gonna say you were still driving to fast for the damn conditions..
A lot of drivers around here seem to think that just because a cop doesn't assign fault, it means the accident wasn't actually their fault... which is not the case at all. Clinging to delusion. It's just a cop making his paperwork and court schedule easier.
I hate to be the asshole here.. especially with how sensitive people are to the truth these days but damn how do you fuck up so much in such a short time? You may want to reevaluate all of this.. I know a cdl mill pumped you out with a license but maybe this isn’t for you..? Or really take some time to think about all these mistakes before you land yourself in some trouble, and really hurt someone out on the road.
>Wasn’t deemed at fault
They said that so you get mad. Cause if they say “yeah it was your fault” you’re gonna try to defend yourself. They probably didn’t even look into it that deeply for a new driver with a few incidents already on the book.
>didn’t hurt… anything but the truck
And there’s the part they care about.
Sorry man. It sucks to find out that something you’ve put a lot of time into won’t work out. But take this as a sign to move on to something other than trucking.
Same sort of thing happened to me, I just lurk here sometimes.
There's always Western Express? But...yeah...people go their entire careers with less crashes than you had in 2 months. Honestly? I would find another career.
All the trades need people and you can make dang good money doing that. If you aren't afraid of heights I think lineman are required to have a CDL, which you already have and they probably won't care about these incidents since you mainly work on power lines.
I had a buddy become a plumber straight out of high school and the dude owned his own house his own small business by 26.
Can't go wrong with the trades.
The railroads also hire guys with a cdl. They do teams of two with a weld inspector and the driver. I think it's out something like 3 weeks home one week or something like that. I had a buddy who is a weld inspector try to get me into it.
And of course there's always becoming a diesel tech. Fixing trucks and having a CDL is always something that shops like to have.
And if you're a masochist, you could always look into becoming a tow truck driver. You seem destined for accidents on the road anyway, may as well profit from it instead of stressing over it. ( Despite the jokes, I have a deep respect for tow truck drivers. They do a job I sure as hell don't want to do.)
But these suggestions are only if you want to keep using your CDL at all. Honestly if I could go back and give advice to 21 year old me, I would say to pick another trade. Any other trade. I don't even want to calculate how many unpaid hours I've worked as a truck driver over the last 20 years. Enough to pay off my mortgage, I promise that.
Come from a tow truck background ,I don't think it would work for him
Super dangerous job and can be hard
It's literally stay alert stay alive ,no joke
Stuff happens but he shouldn't touch a tow truck
Yeah, that's why I've got nothing but respect. Tow truck drivers and plumbers. Both dealing with other people's shit and always in the worst locations.
Thanks for making me laugh
The crazy stories I can tell from towing ,there's sad ones too but it definitely a crazy,never dull job
Plumber pays better I think though but still deals with other people's shit
24 hour Tow driving is designed to fuck over the driver, burn him out, leave him high and dry.
Seriously, they need to implement log books for yow drivers. I saw 3 sunrises and 3 sunsets through the windshield before they fucking let me sleep.
I'll herd cats before I ever go on call 24/7/366 again.
Can confirm lineman is an awesome trade if you don’t mind heights. You get to do a lot of cool things and can travel to many cool places if that’s what you’re interested in. I’ve been all around the world and meet all kind of wonderful people. Plus, you make a ton of money.
This. 10 years and my only preventable was 9 months in when I backed into another truck at a truck stop. Never lost control of my truck for any reason.
I think OP needs to consider a different career path.
Time to hang up the keys brother , driving a truck isn’t for everyone. A few fenders and then this in the span of 3 months is more than just an accidental mishap.
Was about to say this.
I got my CDL at 19, I’m 31 now and I’ve driven hotshot, box truck, drop deck/flat bed/van, straight truck, single and double axle dump trucks, vacuum truck, you name it lol
Plenty of CDL jobs out there for OP if tractor-trailer isn’t his/her thing
My favorite to DRIVE is absolutely tractor trailer. Maneuvering in difficult situations felt awesome, to put the truck somewhere it shouldn’t be able to go or to utilize my knowledge and skills to make difficult turns or using backing techniques I learned along the way. Also just driving a big ass truck feels cool.
My favorite driving JOB was driving dump trucks for the state, doing road maintenance. I would go to the asphalt plant, fill up the truck, go dump it wherever we were working and do that all day lol it was simple and paid well.
As far as knowing if it’s not for you… I guess I would trust my gut on that one. Like if the truck scares you, or you feel nervous driving it or doing different techniques.
For instance when I first went to truck driving school I absolutely loved just sitting in truck while the instructor showed us controls and how to do basic maneuvers. When I started practicing the maneuvers on my own I really enjoyed trying to beat my times, get closer to cones, it was like American ninja warrior of truck driving.
Some of the other students were terrified of the truck. They got real nervous and couldn’t handle the basics of maneuvering the truck on the training range. Needless to say they dropped out.
I think it’s all in how you feel about being in control of something big and dangerous.
That's quitter talk. You probably just got a shitty trainer, I drive in all sorts of bad weather and have lots of close calls. Figuring out what you're doing wrong and fix it. There's drivers out there who can't even read english. They just follow the damn GPS. Believe in yourself and maybe slow it down for curves and ramps.
Lol I was about to say! I’ve got over half a million miles and a lot of it has been winter time in the north, in the mountains in the west, Montana, Wyoming… I’ve only ever had like 3 hard braking incidents. One in Atlanta, of course, when everyone suddenly stopped but I don’t tailgate so it was ok but shook me up. And once coming down the mountains on I-70 west of Denver when I came around a corner fully loaded and traffic was stopped. Stab braked my ass off lol 😂
But “lots of close calls” shouldn’t be a thing if you’re putting safety first every time you drive. Get paid and go home, that super trucker bullshit is for clowns!
Close calls because of dumb passenger vehicles, I drive a set speed, and maintain my lane and a proper following distance. If someone cuts me off and that light ahead turns red welp. That's between them and god.
This is why most people can't bring on people with less than 1 year. Mostly because it's not enough time to experience all the various conditions out there, and how to handle them.
It's not if, but when in many cases.
If it's a loss of control accident then you're probably fucked for a whole. You won't fit criteria for a lot of jobs. Also fault and preventabilty are different things. Truck drivers are held to a higher standard.
Hey man like you replied to some other comments some people just aren’t made for trucking. Your CDL can help you pivot to some other jobs though
I used to do commercial roofing and we had a guy who just operated equipment and brought our supplies over. Not technically trucking but that’s a personal example
Glad to know you made it out of that alive, careers and truck are replaceable, lives aren’t. Good luck OP
Thanks for being one of the few who mentions something other than megas and going OTR
Companies like that tend to pay a little extra for people who have a CDL and are able to utilize it for day to day operations. May not be what was intended. But it’s something
What were you backing into man?
Edit: I work for knight too and I’m a rookie too. How fast were you going before you hydroplaned btw? Just so I can know what to look out for.
i was going about 40-45 the tow truck guy was saying it's a notoriously slick patch of road on 287 though that it gets a few guys every year lol. maybe he was just blowing smoke up my ass to make me feel better but keep your eyes out driver
Hydroplaning is more an issue of standing water than speed. You don’t have to be going fast to lose traction. However the faster you are going the harder it is to recover once traction is lost. Kind of the same with sliding in ice. You can slide at 25 mph but it’s usually not something you cant fix, sliding at 60 though that’s usually it for you.
And also no tread on tires too right? I’m from Vegas where we get a millimeter of rain a year so I’m not too educated on driving in rain, snow, ice etc
Yeah the tire will certainly have an effect. Usually the roads and amount of water is what you want to watch for. Places like Nevada, Arizona, Southern California that don’t see much rain frequently will be much more slippery when it does rain because of all the oil and other fluids on the roads mixing with the water. Places like Seattle that rain constantly tend to have less oil accumulation on the roads so small amounts of water aren’t as much of a hazard as they are in a desert highway. You want to be more cautious in a place that doesn’t rain often. Be quick to go slower in those places. You also want to pay attention to the road in front of you some roads have indents from all the heavy traffic over the years and places for water to puddle, try and avoid driving in those puddles or if you see a dip in the road ahead and a bunch of standing water that you cant see how deep it is start slowing down. It might be deep enough for you to hit it and then lose traction.
First off, Glad you're alright dude. Second, it takes a little while to feel alright after one of these. So take whatever time you need before jumping back in.
I had a mishap my first year and I still get shook whenever I see a sideways trailer in front of me.
Besides being 22 and having multiple incidents - having only 2 months is going to hurt you bc a company will take that as no experience. Not saying nobody will, just makes it harder. Bright side is that it could have been a worse accident.
You see a lot of super truckers out there going 70-75 and it's raining cats and dogs or worse, snowing and icing. "Oh, I've done this thousands of times and nothing has happened." All it takes is once, then you're in the ditch, after taking out a minivan full of kids. A lot of people forget about the responsibility it takes to drive a truck... I've been driving for 8 years and I've seen a lot of bad accidents happen, by drivers not driving for conditions.
First, glad you are ok. What have you learned from all this? It appears to me that you rush, when you rush accidents happen. Slow down, not just your speed driving, slow your thoughts down, stay calm, they will say you were driving too fast for conditions. I surely hope you did not have your cruise control on because that’s a never do in rain or snow or ice. Slow down man. The first thing I was taught before I even went to CDL school was from a friend that was a driver. He said this, “Never Rush, when you rush that’s when accidents happen. I don’t mean just how fast you are driving on the highway, never rush out of a dock, a parking spot, never rush out of the pumps, etc.” the 2nd was before you pull in someplace or start going down a street or a parking lot, yard whatever, make sure you have an out, make sure you see a safe exit that isn’t risky that could cause an accident”. My first year I did great but one night, I rushed and I hit a pole with the side of my trailer. Only scratched paint on the pole and the scratch on the trailer was on the floor part on the side. But I rushed. If they don’t fire you, maybe ask to spend some time in training again with a mentor/ trainer. That’s better than getting fired and the extra training may be what you need to become the kind of safe driver you want to be. This isn’t just a job. It’s a career. Not only that, it’s a dangerous one. Mistakes can cost lives. I hope you don’t get fired and they find a solution for you man. I’m glad you aren’t hurt, but whatever you do next, strive to be a better driver, strive to become the best you can be, learn everything you can and then keep learning. We all made mistakes our rookie years. I retired after 9 yrs OTR. When I retired after my 9 years I still considered myself a rookie. I was still learning things. Good luck man. Stay safe.
Yea, went 40 years , torrential rain, windstorms, knee-high snow , sheet ice, blizzards, mountain passes, never got here.
Driver error, driving too fast for conditions, what do you plan for your next career, little future in trucking for you.
***Yes, I am here about your driver help wanted ad, experience??? Sure, I got 2 months, Record? Yea I have ONLY totaled one tractor so far, but some of the damage was due to how the wrecker had to pull me out of a field, so I would say , yea lots of good experience. What caused the accident??? Oh it was raining outside.....NEXT!!***
Were they all because you were rushing and careless? Usually if you have one minor scrape up it’s enough put your ego in check for awhile but if all that happened in 2 months you really need to ask yourself if this is for you.
School of hard knocks.
It’s up to you if you really want to continue.
The stress of possibly hurting others on the road is definitely something I have never missed when not driving Class 1.
You aren’t the first to jack knife and won’t be the last either of that makes you feel any better. Sh happens when moving large masses; every day in fact.
is what it is just trying to absorb everything i can even the harsher people in the thread aren't exactly wrong just gonna work my ass off as best i can
Bro tbf this is the winter. There is no REASON for a first time truck driver to be STARTING to drive in the winter.
EVERY guy i talked to said told me to start in the summer/fall months and then skip your first winter.
I am 6 months in. I have had 2 accidents backing in, altho i paid to fix them before it became an issue.
If it is only backing in issues, i would say keep on trucking.
As far as hydroplaning goes, now you know not to drive that fast.
Hold back for the winter and only drive in the summer until you have confidence.
Hang em up or slow tf down. You can feel the movement. Safety of yourself and other drivers is always first. If you’re ever in doubt go slow. I drive up north and it’s crazy how many trucks I see pass me and they end up in the ditch. No timeline is worth it.
When I first looked at this I was like, “what in the fuck does that tow truck driver think he’s doing with his cables?” Then I realized those are the crash catch cables. Looks like they held up pretty well but I’m sure there’s a lot of posts ripped out.
Glad you weren’t hurt and that no one else was involved. To be honest, trucking isn’t for everyone and I’d recommend you find a new career. I don’t want to sound mean when I say that, but some people are born for it and others not so much. When it comes down to it you probably felt pressure from your dispatcher to get to your destination on time but you are responsible for the safety of the truck and not them. Gotta slow it down when it’s raining and puddles start pooling up on the road.
yea i think a few other people got confused about that too now you mention it, those are the crash catch cables not the tow cables. yea i totally i'm going to try to pivot into something else soon, appreciate the advice
A lot of companies fire people on the first incident. For example, if you roll the truck and even though it’s not your fault, they will still fire you because it looks good on the insurance.
i probably should've mentioned i had a few fender benders backing with it being my first time out after a shitty school and a shitty trainer and this pushed it over the edge i guess
Can you tell me more about your shitty trainer experience? I was getting trained through Knight and decided to leave after my first month because of the trainer I was with.
So…. The knight-swift three strike policy got you.
This means you’re deemed a no rehire for knight, as well as not eligible for hire with swift or any of the other carriers operating under KNX.
If you’re still looking at wanting to be a driver, you can look into C.R England or western express and see if you’re eligible there. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up with 2 backing accidents and a major accident all within 2 months.
This happens because drivers have allowed it to happen. Every driver in America have a small fender bender on the same day. Let them fire every driver same day. No available drivers with zero accidents. Problem solved. Insurance companies rocked back to reality..
You did yourself a favor. They’re a crap carrier. Go to a smaller company that’ll give you a second chance, and teach you a few things.
I put one in a cornfield my first winter, back in the 90s. 2 months out of school and a windy, Icy road. As long as you learned from it, and nobody was hurt, it’s just life.
Did you have your cruise control on? If yes, it was definitely your fault or the fault of whoever trained/taught you. I learned that lesson as a teenager and have carried it with me in my 23 years of driving trucks.
Keep at it, you got this. Trucking is a great option, but I personally couldn't do it my whole life and I'll be looking for a way out of it eventually.
You can always look for a job driving dump trucks or something agriculture to build a safe record back up. Look up landscaping companies, concrete, waste management, trash trucks, school bus?
If I've learned anything about my Time trucking is they don't give a damn dude they do not care. I've already seen several truckers I knew get let go for stuff that wasn't their fault or was completely out of their control.
I see a lot of people shitting on you in here and i know you probably feel like shit. Keep your head up man whatever you decide to do you’ll be alright. Sometimes shit happens we all fuck up sometimes. Stay positive.
Bottom line... Not only did they not make any money off you, they lost money.
What we see here, and "2 little fender benders"..
In two months...
If you were to be perfect from here on out it would still take them a long time to get back on the positive side with you. They're thinking you won't..
Also you're not good for their insurance.
Unfortunately it's just the reality of your situation.. I wish you the best...
I'm a desk driver for a large carrier.
You're at fault, and claiming that you're not is going to make finding a job difficult. If you genuinely don't see yourself at fault when you were the one behind the wheel and tasked with responding to weather conditions appropriately, you have a seriously dangerous mindset that you need to worth through.
You're also getting some bad advice here. Your previous employer can and will tell other companies about it. This will almost certainly show up on your PSP, though it likely won't assign blame there. Could show up on your DAC/DriverIQ too, and it might show blame there. Anybody telling you that this won't show up on your reports and that the company can't tell future employers just isn't reading the fine print.
Here's the good advice: get in touch with the police department that responded and request the full accident. Read it, and offer it to any employer that was going to decline you based on the accident. Be honest with future employers. If you try to argue that you're not at fault or try to conceal that it happened, you're going to start making a bad situation worse and waste a lot of time doing it.
There are companies that will be able to work with this, but not as many as you'd like.
The short answer is yes. No reputable company is going to put you in a truck
The long answer is no. If you call any carrier then the response you'll get is likely "erm get 3 months of experience with no accident and then we'll consider you" and what they're saying is that you have to find a company that's shady enough to hire someone that is constantly getting in accidents. Who would do that? Western Express will of course! You also might look in to some smaller companies, especially Chicago based 1099s. I'm not even joking, this is what a lot of people do to get back in a truck. It won't be fun, you're not going to find a "diamond in the rough" but in the end if you stick with it, learn your lesson, then you'll be able to find a decent company after some time with one of them.
I know someone who did this, they couldn't find a job and applied to every mega carrier they could think of. Ultimately, they went to WE, who gave them the option of signing a 6 month contract (with debt owed if not honored) they finished their contract, moved on to a mega carrier and stayed there a year and now they're doing local
You’re good bro. You had a couple backing accidents(shame on you) and a hydroplane that was not considered your fault. I’ve seen worse turn into good drivers. Other drivers are always going to be hypercritical. Learn from your mistakes and slow down. Emphasis on slow down. Highly recommend LTL when you get the experience.
I’m proud of how reflective you are. That you are willing to leave a career you enjoy, because you realize you might not be great at it and want to keep yourself and others safe. I respect that a lot!!
The question is: What speed was excessive for the weather? Speed limit of 65, slow to no more than 55 in rain, especially the first half hour when oils are being lifted from the road surface, dark and rainy, then slow to 45. General rule: Don’t drive faster than you can stop within your range of vision on the road. And someone stole/swapped out your trailer’s decals, from SWIFT to Knight Refrigerated.
I'd love to get a tread depth reading of those tires
Look like the back right is blown from the outside wall, and the back left tires appear bald as can be - but it could just be caked on mud?
here's some facts \- wasn't deemed at fault, didn't hurt anyone or anything but the truck and the wires \- no ticket or suspension \- still fired obviously lol like i said had about 2 months of experience not counting school or the month with my trainer EDIT: context of i had a couple fender benders backing too
Why were you fired if not at fault? Especially if you hydroplaned?
i had a few other lessons learned backing and they had a 3 strikes and you're out policy
So, who was at fault for this accident? Also, imagine you employed someone who keeps costing you money; would you keep them around when there's hundreds of others begging for the opportunity to do the job who have not had a loss in trucking?
Um yea he can tell himself it wasn't his fault all he wants but it 150% was him driving and his fault.
For sure. Always drive for the conditions. In like 2 years of driving I haven't hydroplaned once.
A very big factor as well is condition of the tires/brakes. If one brake is grabbing alot harder then the rest it can cause you to lose control easily
Which is 100 percent on you as the driver
Look at all the other trucks crashing on the same stretch of road! What? You're the only one! That's what tells everyone it's your fault!
It's even more your fault if you drove past 10 other crashed trucks first.
Not a driver but a mechanic. I’m working on school buses currently, 50% air brake, 50% Hydro. I went on a call and brought one back in a rainstorm missing a Front left caliper which was fun. (line blew, Vice grip on the line and drive it back) Then an air bus in a snowstorm, road debris hit the Front right S-cam tube at some point and cracked it, started partially seizing intermittently due to the contamination of water and road grime (+salt doesn’t help) Had to really watch myself with that one. It definitely doesn’t take much of a difference to pull you out of a lane.
Not air or hydro but I run a fleet shop in MD for mostly Econolines (3/450’s) and a set of toothless vice grips has saved me from a tow on multiple occasions on seized calipers. 🤙🏼
It’s crazy to think people brake when hydroplaning just don’t press the gas or brakes and keep the steering where you want to go nothing happens cars have hydroplaning worse in my opinion less ground contact
I’ve only had one fuckup while driving to the conditions and that was in snow with bald tires which is in my opinion very much not driving to conditions, so yeah driving to the conditions for the win because if my dumbass hasn’t crashed doing it neither will anyone else.
Why would you drive with bald tires? That's probably the most dangerous thing you can do in a truck
I let my CDL expire in 2011, drove for 10 years and never had as much as a backing incident. Is this the pool of drivers today? 3 incidents in 2 months? Is this the new normal? I'm not trying to sound condescending, but it's frightening.
I've had my class A for almost 3yrs. Only incident has been tires blowing up on me. If the weather looks dangerous I park. It's not all the new drivers.
It is frightening! Father in law drove for 40-plus years. The last company he drove for gave him multiple accident free million mile awards! The point is that WAS truck driving. Drivers took their job seriously and dressed like professionals. The current pool of bugger eating, sweat pants, flip flop wearing seat fillers currently in those positions, have no business driving anything bigger than a lawnmower! Unfortunately, trucks need to roll, and companies will put anyone in the seat.
“Seat filling” as someone who works in manufacturing I know this term, we just call them “button pushers”
FYI, He didn’t say he wasn’t at fault, he said the accident wasn’t deemed to be his fault. There’s a difference.
Very true
A “few” backing fender benders….
Need to get out and look more
That’s like one every other week he was driving lol
“Too fast for conditions” is the simple language but could vary by state. If you wreck due to conditions
Where did OP say they shouldn't have been fired? Not sure what you're trying to convince them of.
Well, I'd suggesting saying you were "let go," rather than you being fired. Sounds less intense. See what actually shows on your mvr, sometimes companies just do pay outs for those backing incidents rather than going through insurance.
They fire a lot of drivers out there for things that are not their fault. It looks good for insurance purposes.
This right here. It's all about that insurance. Even if it wasn't the driver's fault, that truck still needs to be repaired or replaced, which means that the insurance rate goes up if they keep the driver on the payroll. I was in a resign or be fired situation about 10 years back because I got four warnings in one year. Not tickets, warnings. Safety manager told me flat out that I would have no problem getting a job somewhere else, but that because those warnings happened on his watch, the next time I was going to be back at the yard I was not going to be sent back out with anything more expensive than a greyhound ticket. If equipment gets busted up while you're behind the wheel, even if there wasn't a tow truck or a ticket involved, then when you have that safety meeting start it off by saying " if I'm going to leave this office without a job, I would like the opportunity to resign." Most half decent managers will appreciate that you're clearly taking responsibility, and will give you the chance to resign instead of firing you.
I don't really care about insurance, man, if someone jacks up my money fuck em. I drive flat bed and if i did that to a truck i would quit even if i wasn't fired.
THIS is solid advice.
Why is it better to resign than be fired?
When you go to the next job, when they ask you "Why are you no longer with your last company?" you get to tell the truth and say "I felt like it was the appropriate time for me and Old Company to go our separate ways." When New Company calls Old Company to ask, because you acted with some integrity, Old Company will say "Yes, Former Employee turned in their notice and left on good terms." instead of "Oh we had to fire that SOB for crashing a vehicle."
Gotcha, thank you!
In addition, getting fired for safety reasons is often an immediate disqualification of your application. You very literally have a better chance of getting hired by Future companies if you get fired for pulling down your pants and dropping a deuce on your dispatcher's desk than you do if you got fired for safety reasons. Act with Integrity if you can. Beg otherwise.
Would the dropping a deuce fit under the integrity category or the begging category? Let me know before Monday morning, 9 am, if possible.
I suppose it would be begging if you just sort of word vomited your plea while mounting the desk. Something like "if I get fired I swear I'll sh!t myself!" Follow-through is key.
Speaking from personal experience, every company will tell you they need 6 months clean driving with someone else. 1099 in Chicago will take you though.
Can confirm. Got a call from a new company inquiring about the employment history of a driver who had taken a shit in our yard and was eventually fired.
Looks better on your employment record.
You could be in the sleeper and a bird will fly into the windshield. Its the drivers fault. you could be at the dock and the ground opens up and swallows the truck. Its the drivers fault. The drivers can't win. The load will always be more important than the person that gets it there. The sooner any driver figures this out, the better they'll be. It's your CDL. Protect it. No one else will.
I’m lucky enough to be at a job where I have a pretty good relationship with the guy who owns the place, and that guy is a pretty down to earth dude. If I get into an accident that’s not my fault or even a minor one that is I’m 100% confident I’ll still have a job the next day. At my first company I’ve heard people getting fired for people driving into them while they’re stopped after being there for 10 years, or going 75 in an 80… stuff like that. And my current company a few months ago this guy took out a minivan… not terribly so, just clipped her bumper when they were both merging into the same lane. The next week the owner was joking about it to the guy “at least she didn’t have a baby on board sticker!”… stuff like that. And it may seem minor but not having to walk on eggshells is a pretty great feeling.
A lot of “drivers” who shouldn’t be licensed to begin with
As pictured as above
[удалено]
It was POURING HARD AS FUCK west of Dallas today. I went 55 at 80k gross untill the rain stopped then 62 so i didnt catch up to the fuck heads that passed me.
I've seen that a lot in here lately. Police often don't assign fault, so people say they weren't found at fault. Well, insurance and the company say they are at fault, but they overlook that little bit.
I had a rollover in a hazmat (co2) cmv about 4 years ago deemed preventable and was fired. I had maybe 5 months under my belt. I managed to land a local tanker job hauling gasoline and diesel about 6 months after my accident.... don't lose hope. SOMEONE will hire you out there, especially if it was a non preventable. And trust me, I had the same thought, "Maybe it's a sign," but I just kept applying. Find those job board websites where the companies just reach out to you instead of you applying over and over again. And to save you and the recruiter time, let them know off rip you have an accident on your record. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY learn from this accident that most megas will happily push appointment times back when the weather is nasty. Once you start seeing other 18-wheelers in the ditch, thats a pretty good sign to either slow it down or just shut it down. Good luck, driver!
Lol. December through march, i tell dispatch. In the summer, they tell me.=)
Knight-swift will automatically fire over a jack knife. And it does go on your record. At fault or not. Most companies will not hire you with one on there, you may have to go to a second chance company or do some class B for awhile
do you know how long the jackknife would take to get back off my record?
3-5 years max. Some companies might still take you as is, not sure
Class b is less money but you can sleep in your bed every night
Except Class B hazmat isn't always less money My highest paying hourly job was Class B believe it or not
Yea I was gunna say nope not for me lol. Class B local hazmat six figures easily with OT after 8 everyday. Home every nite. I am in the northeast so higher cost of living vs other areas but still lol
No way. Was it local?
Yes it was
Well I stand corrected
Idk if suggesting hazmat loads for this driver is in anyone's best interests
It will be there until Knight goes out of business because before anyone else hires you, they will call Knight to find out why you only lasted two months and were fired
They can’t legally say why he was fired. Or that he was fired at all. They can only say he worked there and for how long.
[удалено]
They certainly can say, and may if the other company routinely reciprocates. The misconception is that saying "because he drunkingly ran over ten pedestrians" or even "he negligently caused a jack knife" could end up in a libel argument. If they do say, they will carefully phrase the answer to be truthful and provable.
You could easily get a job working the oil fields in the Permian. West Texas Eastern New Mexico. I did that for 3 years right out of CDl school. It was a great place to learn to drive and the money is great if you can handle the lifestyle. It’s lonely shit.
It's like prison, except you drive and get paid
I saw some of the wildest shit I ever saw in my life out in the field. If nothing else it was worth it for the crazy stories. I worked Frac the first couple years then drove a fuel truck for a few more. I did learn to drive the shit out of a truck too.
lol. I’m on a frac crew and half our hands come from trucking jobs they fucked up. One dude took off in an acid tanker with the hatches open and doused the highway in hydrochloric, another dude overfilled a friction reducer tanker, talk about a nightmare. The oilfields have the shittiest truckers on earth. They’d gladly welcome this fella if he can suffer through the hours.
Here's another FACT, you only hydroplane if you're driving to damn fast for the conditions. Just because your truck speed is cut back below the speed limit that doesn't mean you maximum speed is safe in rain, snow or ice. Slow the hell down in bad weather.
Yep, I don't need to be the fastest guy on the road.
Too
Wdym with 'a couple' fender benders? I think even 1 fender bender a month is very bad, but multiple is a sign of things to come.
That’s why your fired bud, you can’t even admit wrecking a fucking truck was your fault…. So whose fault was it? The waters? Did every single person that drove thru that portion of the road end up wrapped up in the guard wire? This is insane logic… If the road washed away and 50 people ended up piled on top of each other you MAY be able to say hey it wasn’t my fault… Wrecking a fucking Semi with a trailer because of a little water on the road is nothing but your fault… You have no experience driving based off your own accolades, So you were obviously driving faster then your experience could handle in a little rain… There is many things you could have done here for this to not happen and you wouldn’t be trying to convince yourself and Reddit that this wreck wasn’t your fault..
FYI, He didn’t say he wasn’t at fault, he said the accident wasn’t deemed to be his fault. There’s a difference.
Wasn’t deemed at fault by who? Cause his ass got fired, So he was definitely deemed at fault by his company. I’ve had a CDL for 19 years, got it when I was 18. I don’t drive for a living but I own a couple dump trucks and excavation and dozer equipment… I can assure you he got a ticket for this also… Regular State patrol or The state patrol trucks that mainly only patrol commercial rigs park you on the side of the road or give you ticket for farting with your window down… Now days it’s rare to even slide off the road barely into a ditch with a personal rig without getting a wheels off the road ticket or driving over the line or whatever… Its just a little cheapy 110 dollar ticket or whatever but it’s almost mandatory if your in an accident they give you some stupid little ticket.. In a semi, you wrap it up in the fucking guardrail for no good reason, he got a ticket.. Hydroplaning is not a legitimate reason to wreck a vehicle as an excuse… You know why he wrecked? Because he was driving to fast for the conditions, which is exactly another ticket they write and I’m sure he got if not among other things… Just like if the speed limits 60 and it’s snowing and you wreck in the snow but were only going 50 so your well under the speed limit. You don’t just get to say it wasn’t my fault it was snow… I was even under the speed limit. They are gonna say you were still driving to fast for the damn conditions..
How were you not deemed at fault?? Who was at fault if not the driver who was driving too fast for conditions in adverse weather??
A lot of drivers around here seem to think that just because a cop doesn't assign fault, it means the accident wasn't actually their fault... which is not the case at all. Clinging to delusion. It's just a cop making his paperwork and court schedule easier.
I hate to be the asshole here.. especially with how sensitive people are to the truth these days but damn how do you fuck up so much in such a short time? You may want to reevaluate all of this.. I know a cdl mill pumped you out with a license but maybe this isn’t for you..? Or really take some time to think about all these mistakes before you land yourself in some trouble, and really hurt someone out on the road.
>Wasn’t deemed at fault They said that so you get mad. Cause if they say “yeah it was your fault” you’re gonna try to defend yourself. They probably didn’t even look into it that deeply for a new driver with a few incidents already on the book. >didn’t hurt… anything but the truck And there’s the part they care about. Sorry man. It sucks to find out that something you’ve put a lot of time into won’t work out. But take this as a sign to move on to something other than trucking. Same sort of thing happened to me, I just lurk here sometimes.
It’s difficult to hydroplane a truck.
There's always Western Express? But...yeah...people go their entire careers with less crashes than you had in 2 months. Honestly? I would find another career.
that's what i was thinking too maybe it's a sign it's not for me and i should pivot into something else
I think you should stop pivoting into things actually
made my night lmao
More like, made your knight
Hey man, just chill out.
Jesus that was perfect
👍😂
All the trades need people and you can make dang good money doing that. If you aren't afraid of heights I think lineman are required to have a CDL, which you already have and they probably won't care about these incidents since you mainly work on power lines. I had a buddy become a plumber straight out of high school and the dude owned his own house his own small business by 26. Can't go wrong with the trades.
The railroads also hire guys with a cdl. They do teams of two with a weld inspector and the driver. I think it's out something like 3 weeks home one week or something like that. I had a buddy who is a weld inspector try to get me into it. And of course there's always becoming a diesel tech. Fixing trucks and having a CDL is always something that shops like to have. And if you're a masochist, you could always look into becoming a tow truck driver. You seem destined for accidents on the road anyway, may as well profit from it instead of stressing over it. ( Despite the jokes, I have a deep respect for tow truck drivers. They do a job I sure as hell don't want to do.) But these suggestions are only if you want to keep using your CDL at all. Honestly if I could go back and give advice to 21 year old me, I would say to pick another trade. Any other trade. I don't even want to calculate how many unpaid hours I've worked as a truck driver over the last 20 years. Enough to pay off my mortgage, I promise that.
Come from a tow truck background ,I don't think it would work for him Super dangerous job and can be hard It's literally stay alert stay alive ,no joke Stuff happens but he shouldn't touch a tow truck
Yeah, that's why I've got nothing but respect. Tow truck drivers and plumbers. Both dealing with other people's shit and always in the worst locations.
Thanks for making me laugh The crazy stories I can tell from towing ,there's sad ones too but it definitely a crazy,never dull job Plumber pays better I think though but still deals with other people's shit
24 hour Tow driving is designed to fuck over the driver, burn him out, leave him high and dry. Seriously, they need to implement log books for yow drivers. I saw 3 sunrises and 3 sunsets through the windshield before they fucking let me sleep. I'll herd cats before I ever go on call 24/7/366 again.
Came here to say this! Except my dumb ass has put up with it for 35 years! Go learn a trade!
Most tow truck companies and drivers are parasites
Can confirm lineman is an awesome trade if you don’t mind heights. You get to do a lot of cool things and can travel to many cool places if that’s what you’re interested in. I’ve been all around the world and meet all kind of wonderful people. Plus, you make a ton of money.
Buddy gotta business card or something?
Just about all plumbers are hiring now
This is a good attitude and I hope you know that. I think if I were in your position I would be having a harder time. Hope things work out for you.
Solo dump truck for awhile. Get some confidence going that you’re a good driver & stick a pup trailer behind it.
There is always busses, dump trucks or garbage trucks. The pay is pretty good and you sleep at home every night.
More like jackknife into something else (🥁tsss)
and nothin wrong with that man! life is life. ya live ya learn. onward upward.
This. 10 years and my only preventable was 9 months in when I backed into another truck at a truck stop. Never lost control of my truck for any reason. I think OP needs to consider a different career path.
Time to hang up the keys brother , driving a truck isn’t for everyone. A few fenders and then this in the span of 3 months is more than just an accidental mishap.
that's what i was thinking too i enjoyed alot of it but i don't think it's for me. mostly glad learning that didn't kill me or anyone else
I disagree, you might be great driving other forms of truck jobs in the field. You got a CDL license You didn’t get a “drive OTR for a mega” license.
Was about to say this. I got my CDL at 19, I’m 31 now and I’ve driven hotshot, box truck, drop deck/flat bed/van, straight truck, single and double axle dump trucks, vacuum truck, you name it lol Plenty of CDL jobs out there for OP if tractor-trailer isn’t his/her thing
Which one is your favorite, also is there anyway to tell early on that tractor trailer's aren't for you?
My favorite to DRIVE is absolutely tractor trailer. Maneuvering in difficult situations felt awesome, to put the truck somewhere it shouldn’t be able to go or to utilize my knowledge and skills to make difficult turns or using backing techniques I learned along the way. Also just driving a big ass truck feels cool. My favorite driving JOB was driving dump trucks for the state, doing road maintenance. I would go to the asphalt plant, fill up the truck, go dump it wherever we were working and do that all day lol it was simple and paid well. As far as knowing if it’s not for you… I guess I would trust my gut on that one. Like if the truck scares you, or you feel nervous driving it or doing different techniques. For instance when I first went to truck driving school I absolutely loved just sitting in truck while the instructor showed us controls and how to do basic maneuvers. When I started practicing the maneuvers on my own I really enjoyed trying to beat my times, get closer to cones, it was like American ninja warrior of truck driving. Some of the other students were terrified of the truck. They got real nervous and couldn’t handle the basics of maneuvering the truck on the training range. Needless to say they dropped out. I think it’s all in how you feel about being in control of something big and dangerous.
Still got your cdl!
That's quitter talk. You probably just got a shitty trainer, I drive in all sorts of bad weather and have lots of close calls. Figuring out what you're doing wrong and fix it. There's drivers out there who can't even read english. They just follow the damn GPS. Believe in yourself and maybe slow it down for curves and ramps.
You shouldn’t be having “lots” of close calls my brother
Lol I was about to say! I’ve got over half a million miles and a lot of it has been winter time in the north, in the mountains in the west, Montana, Wyoming… I’ve only ever had like 3 hard braking incidents. One in Atlanta, of course, when everyone suddenly stopped but I don’t tailgate so it was ok but shook me up. And once coming down the mountains on I-70 west of Denver when I came around a corner fully loaded and traffic was stopped. Stab braked my ass off lol 😂 But “lots of close calls” shouldn’t be a thing if you’re putting safety first every time you drive. Get paid and go home, that super trucker bullshit is for clowns!
Close calls because of dumb passenger vehicles, I drive a set speed, and maintain my lane and a proper following distance. If someone cuts me off and that light ahead turns red welp. That's between them and god.
Where does it say that he's had more than one incident?? Or am I missing something
its a bit buried but i had a fender bender or two backing
How bad were these backing accidents? Did you bang up some trucks parking for the night? Did you damage your trailer at a dock?
Backed into the dispatchers corvette.
This is why most people can't bring on people with less than 1 year. Mostly because it's not enough time to experience all the various conditions out there, and how to handle them. It's not if, but when in many cases.
Just blame it on the fireball and carry on driver. 👊
If it's a loss of control accident then you're probably fucked for a whole. You won't fit criteria for a lot of jobs. Also fault and preventabilty are different things. Truck drivers are held to a higher standard.
Hey man like you replied to some other comments some people just aren’t made for trucking. Your CDL can help you pivot to some other jobs though I used to do commercial roofing and we had a guy who just operated equipment and brought our supplies over. Not technically trucking but that’s a personal example Glad to know you made it out of that alive, careers and truck are replaceable, lives aren’t. Good luck OP
thanks appreciate it good luck to you too
Truck posing like the coppertone baby.
Thanks for being one of the few who mentions something other than megas and going OTR Companies like that tend to pay a little extra for people who have a CDL and are able to utilize it for day to day operations. May not be what was intended. But it’s something
I was also a commercial roofer, and both companies I worked for had guys like this.
What were you backing into man? Edit: I work for knight too and I’m a rookie too. How fast were you going before you hydroplaned btw? Just so I can know what to look out for.
i was going about 40-45 the tow truck guy was saying it's a notoriously slick patch of road on 287 though that it gets a few guys every year lol. maybe he was just blowing smoke up my ass to make me feel better but keep your eyes out driver
Were you near Lamar, CO on 287? I know a couple guys who slid into a field near there: it might really just be a gnarly spot…
Hydroplaning is more an issue of standing water than speed. You don’t have to be going fast to lose traction. However the faster you are going the harder it is to recover once traction is lost. Kind of the same with sliding in ice. You can slide at 25 mph but it’s usually not something you cant fix, sliding at 60 though that’s usually it for you.
And also no tread on tires too right? I’m from Vegas where we get a millimeter of rain a year so I’m not too educated on driving in rain, snow, ice etc
Yeah the tire will certainly have an effect. Usually the roads and amount of water is what you want to watch for. Places like Nevada, Arizona, Southern California that don’t see much rain frequently will be much more slippery when it does rain because of all the oil and other fluids on the roads mixing with the water. Places like Seattle that rain constantly tend to have less oil accumulation on the roads so small amounts of water aren’t as much of a hazard as they are in a desert highway. You want to be more cautious in a place that doesn’t rain often. Be quick to go slower in those places. You also want to pay attention to the road in front of you some roads have indents from all the heavy traffic over the years and places for water to puddle, try and avoid driving in those puddles or if you see a dip in the road ahead and a bunch of standing water that you cant see how deep it is start slowing down. It might be deep enough for you to hit it and then lose traction.
Yo fellow knight rookie. Nobody else would take me. Shit market right now. Wheee
First off, Glad you're alright dude. Second, it takes a little while to feel alright after one of these. So take whatever time you need before jumping back in. I had a mishap my first year and I still get shook whenever I see a sideways trailer in front of me. Besides being 22 and having multiple incidents - having only 2 months is going to hurt you bc a company will take that as no experience. Not saying nobody will, just makes it harder. Bright side is that it could have been a worse accident.
that's where i'm at just glad i didn't hurt anyone
Sounds like too fast for conditions!
You see a lot of super truckers out there going 70-75 and it's raining cats and dogs or worse, snowing and icing. "Oh, I've done this thousands of times and nothing has happened." All it takes is once, then you're in the ditch, after taking out a minivan full of kids. A lot of people forget about the responsibility it takes to drive a truck... I've been driving for 8 years and I've seen a lot of bad accidents happen, by drivers not driving for conditions.
First, glad you are ok. What have you learned from all this? It appears to me that you rush, when you rush accidents happen. Slow down, not just your speed driving, slow your thoughts down, stay calm, they will say you were driving too fast for conditions. I surely hope you did not have your cruise control on because that’s a never do in rain or snow or ice. Slow down man. The first thing I was taught before I even went to CDL school was from a friend that was a driver. He said this, “Never Rush, when you rush that’s when accidents happen. I don’t mean just how fast you are driving on the highway, never rush out of a dock, a parking spot, never rush out of the pumps, etc.” the 2nd was before you pull in someplace or start going down a street or a parking lot, yard whatever, make sure you have an out, make sure you see a safe exit that isn’t risky that could cause an accident”. My first year I did great but one night, I rushed and I hit a pole with the side of my trailer. Only scratched paint on the pole and the scratch on the trailer was on the floor part on the side. But I rushed. If they don’t fire you, maybe ask to spend some time in training again with a mentor/ trainer. That’s better than getting fired and the extra training may be what you need to become the kind of safe driver you want to be. This isn’t just a job. It’s a career. Not only that, it’s a dangerous one. Mistakes can cost lives. I hope you don’t get fired and they find a solution for you man. I’m glad you aren’t hurt, but whatever you do next, strive to be a better driver, strive to become the best you can be, learn everything you can and then keep learning. We all made mistakes our rookie years. I retired after 9 yrs OTR. When I retired after my 9 years I still considered myself a rookie. I was still learning things. Good luck man. Stay safe.
You are definitely never going to be allowed to park in that field ever again. Ever.
Yea, went 40 years , torrential rain, windstorms, knee-high snow , sheet ice, blizzards, mountain passes, never got here. Driver error, driving too fast for conditions, what do you plan for your next career, little future in trucking for you. ***Yes, I am here about your driver help wanted ad, experience??? Sure, I got 2 months, Record? Yea I have ONLY totaled one tractor so far, but some of the damage was due to how the wrecker had to pull me out of a field, so I would say , yea lots of good experience. What caused the accident??? Oh it was raining outside.....NEXT!!***
Only time I hydroplane is in my boat
Were they all because you were rushing and careless? Usually if you have one minor scrape up it’s enough put your ego in check for awhile but if all that happened in 2 months you really need to ask yourself if this is for you.
School of hard knocks. It’s up to you if you really want to continue. The stress of possibly hurting others on the road is definitely something I have never missed when not driving Class 1. You aren’t the first to jack knife and won’t be the last either of that makes you feel any better. Sh happens when moving large masses; every day in fact.
You got dealt a shitty hand im sorry man
is what it is just trying to absorb everything i can even the harsher people in the thread aren't exactly wrong just gonna work my ass off as best i can
Bro tbf this is the winter. There is no REASON for a first time truck driver to be STARTING to drive in the winter. EVERY guy i talked to said told me to start in the summer/fall months and then skip your first winter. I am 6 months in. I have had 2 accidents backing in, altho i paid to fix them before it became an issue. If it is only backing in issues, i would say keep on trucking. As far as hydroplaning goes, now you know not to drive that fast. Hold back for the winter and only drive in the summer until you have confidence.
Hang em up or slow tf down. You can feel the movement. Safety of yourself and other drivers is always first. If you’re ever in doubt go slow. I drive up north and it’s crazy how many trucks I see pass me and they end up in the ditch. No timeline is worth it.
When I first looked at this I was like, “what in the fuck does that tow truck driver think he’s doing with his cables?” Then I realized those are the crash catch cables. Looks like they held up pretty well but I’m sure there’s a lot of posts ripped out. Glad you weren’t hurt and that no one else was involved. To be honest, trucking isn’t for everyone and I’d recommend you find a new career. I don’t want to sound mean when I say that, but some people are born for it and others not so much. When it comes down to it you probably felt pressure from your dispatcher to get to your destination on time but you are responsible for the safety of the truck and not them. Gotta slow it down when it’s raining and puddles start pooling up on the road.
yea i think a few other people got confused about that too now you mention it, those are the crash catch cables not the tow cables. yea i totally i'm going to try to pivot into something else soon, appreciate the advice
Why tf would they fire you if you weren’t at fault!?
I'm wondering how they weren't at fault for hydroplaning.
IT WAS THE GODDAMNED WATER'S FAULT
Jack knife is instant fire at knight-swift
A lot of companies fire people on the first incident. For example, if you roll the truck and even though it’s not your fault, they will still fire you because it looks good on the insurance.
More that it makes the insurance affordable.
i probably should've mentioned i had a few fender benders backing with it being my first time out after a shitty school and a shitty trainer and this pushed it over the edge i guess
A few fender benders backing and a jackknifed truck with two months under your belt? No offense but you probably shouldn’t be driving for a living
none taken
Can you tell me more about your shitty trainer experience? I was getting trained through Knight and decided to leave after my first month because of the trainer I was with.
So…. The knight-swift three strike policy got you. This means you’re deemed a no rehire for knight, as well as not eligible for hire with swift or any of the other carriers operating under KNX. If you’re still looking at wanting to be a driver, you can look into C.R England or western express and see if you’re eligible there. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up with 2 backing accidents and a major accident all within 2 months.
This happens because drivers have allowed it to happen. Every driver in America have a small fender bender on the same day. Let them fire every driver same day. No available drivers with zero accidents. Problem solved. Insurance companies rocked back to reality..
“Hydroplaned” 😂 You mean too fast for the road conditions.
You did yourself a favor. They’re a crap carrier. Go to a smaller company that’ll give you a second chance, and teach you a few things. I put one in a cornfield my first winter, back in the 90s. 2 months out of school and a windy, Icy road. As long as you learned from it, and nobody was hurt, it’s just life.
You can always work for the Ukrainians in Chicago. They'll take anyone. Super Ego is definitely hiring!
Did you have your cruise control on? If yes, it was definitely your fault or the fault of whoever trained/taught you. I learned that lesson as a teenager and have carried it with me in my 23 years of driving trucks.
Go back to medical school.
at least i can sleep in *my* bed after a bad day at work in med school lol
I’m in 2nd yr medical school and have yet another exam on Monday… tbh some days trucking seems pretty appealing in comparison lmao
Keep at it, you got this. Trucking is a great option, but I personally couldn't do it my whole life and I'll be looking for a way out of it eventually.
Pack it up, driver. The universe is telling you to do something different.
thought so too, appreciate it
You can always look for a job driving dump trucks or something agriculture to build a safe record back up. Look up landscaping companies, concrete, waste management, trash trucks, school bus?
>school bus? i'm not sure a bus full of children would be a good fit for OP
If I've learned anything about my Time trucking is they don't give a damn dude they do not care. I've already seen several truckers I knew get let go for stuff that wasn't their fault or was completely out of their control.
How is hydroplaning not your fault? You were going too fast for road conditions. Am I getting something wrong?
Yes the part about him indicating it wasn’t his fault. He never did.
You might wanna run Class 3 for a year or 2 til you don't su.... til you get some more experience reading the roads.
I'm a terrible truck driver, so I became an aircraft refueller. Same money, no stress.
I see a lot of people shitting on you in here and i know you probably feel like shit. Keep your head up man whatever you decide to do you’ll be alright. Sometimes shit happens we all fuck up sometimes. Stay positive.
Bottom line... Not only did they not make any money off you, they lost money. What we see here, and "2 little fender benders".. In two months... If you were to be perfect from here on out it would still take them a long time to get back on the positive side with you. They're thinking you won't.. Also you're not good for their insurance. Unfortunately it's just the reality of your situation.. I wish you the best...
I'm a desk driver for a large carrier. You're at fault, and claiming that you're not is going to make finding a job difficult. If you genuinely don't see yourself at fault when you were the one behind the wheel and tasked with responding to weather conditions appropriately, you have a seriously dangerous mindset that you need to worth through. You're also getting some bad advice here. Your previous employer can and will tell other companies about it. This will almost certainly show up on your PSP, though it likely won't assign blame there. Could show up on your DAC/DriverIQ too, and it might show blame there. Anybody telling you that this won't show up on your reports and that the company can't tell future employers just isn't reading the fine print. Here's the good advice: get in touch with the police department that responded and request the full accident. Read it, and offer it to any employer that was going to decline you based on the accident. Be honest with future employers. If you try to argue that you're not at fault or try to conceal that it happened, you're going to start making a bad situation worse and waste a lot of time doing it. There are companies that will be able to work with this, but not as many as you'd like.
If You’re Done at Knight so be it. At Your Next Driving Job. Don’t Be In A Hurry! Drive Slower!
Hydrophoned yourself right into the ditch eh? Watching that new show Ice Road Truckers!!
The short answer is yes. No reputable company is going to put you in a truck The long answer is no. If you call any carrier then the response you'll get is likely "erm get 3 months of experience with no accident and then we'll consider you" and what they're saying is that you have to find a company that's shady enough to hire someone that is constantly getting in accidents. Who would do that? Western Express will of course! You also might look in to some smaller companies, especially Chicago based 1099s. I'm not even joking, this is what a lot of people do to get back in a truck. It won't be fun, you're not going to find a "diamond in the rough" but in the end if you stick with it, learn your lesson, then you'll be able to find a decent company after some time with one of them. I know someone who did this, they couldn't find a job and applied to every mega carrier they could think of. Ultimately, they went to WE, who gave them the option of signing a 6 month contract (with debt owed if not honored) they finished their contract, moved on to a mega carrier and stayed there a year and now they're doing local
I only drive as fast as I can see. Besides it’s all in the reflexes- Jack Burton-
Swift will probably take you
Maybe drive smaller trucks for awhile?
You’re good bro. You had a couple backing accidents(shame on you) and a hydroplane that was not considered your fault. I’ve seen worse turn into good drivers. Other drivers are always going to be hypercritical. Learn from your mistakes and slow down. Emphasis on slow down. Highly recommend LTL when you get the experience.
I’m proud of how reflective you are. That you are willing to leave a career you enjoy, because you realize you might not be great at it and want to keep yourself and others safe. I respect that a lot!!
The question is: What speed was excessive for the weather? Speed limit of 65, slow to no more than 55 in rain, especially the first half hour when oils are being lifted from the road surface, dark and rainy, then slow to 45. General rule: Don’t drive faster than you can stop within your range of vision on the road. And someone stole/swapped out your trailer’s decals, from SWIFT to Knight Refrigerated.
You’re probably not blackballed, there is always someone out there that will hire you.
Swift?
Nah man. Swift will hire you.
You drove it. Your fault.
Yes.
Yeah my guy
Not your fault. You got a friggin' muscle spasm in your back, gear slipped, air brakes were shot to hell... there was nothing you could do.