do I have a chance....

i am a newbie whose career may be over after only 5 months...
I drove for a company that does not have a good rep, (has about a 100% turnover rate, which tells you a lot) but, i was new out of school and not real smart about choosing. Anyway, I had 3 incidents within about 5 weeks.
Now, of course, nobody wants to hire me. I want to know if I have any chance at all with anybody or am I finished. My MVR is clean.

Here are the 3 incidents:
* Backing - Barely touched a car fender in a parking lot. There was no damage, no injury, no ticket, just enough contact to call it contact. It could have easily gone unreported, probably should have, but I was trying to follow the rules and do the right thing.
* Took out some guardrail - Followed company directions and confusing signage, but found myself on a very narrow, curvy road. This was definitely not the kind of road an 18 wheeler needed to be on! Before I could find a place to turn around, I found myself way too close to the guard rail and ended up taking out a section of guard rail. The policeman that helped out told me they had had similar problems many times because the sign for the road was not clear and did not issue a ticket.
* Tore off trailer door - The chain holding the trailer door came off and when I pulled out of the dock, the door was ripped off the trailer.

I take full responsibility for these incidents, but they are all rookie mistakes. Is there not any company that will give me a chance now? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Comments for do I have a chance....

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Sep 30, 2009
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There is a chance just limited choices
by: Hervy

I think you will find something. To be honest it may not be easy a company will have to be desperate because you will look a little suspect in the event that anything happened with you in their truck (your fault or not) with the things on your record.
That's just the reality of it, they know this so unless you very quickly establish some good repertoire with the hiring person he will probably choose someone else if he has a choice, so remember your attitude is your best asset when interviewing.

Like Jimmy said, harsh as it might be, you just got to pay more attention, but don't worry your not the first one and you won't be the last and if it makes you feel any better, I just backed into a wall about a month ago.

I don't think I put the video up yet either, silly me.

So it's something many experienced drivers do too every now and then just to get us back on track with always remaining attentive too.

Stay positive and keep knocking on doors many like the guys said. Keep your head up.

I don't really think Coke or Pepsi will hire you with that but the dump trucks may be what your stuck with until you do find that open door to the open road again. Which I am sure you will find if you look long enough.

Good luck.

Sep 16, 2009
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??
by: Anonymous

Can you tell us what company this is that has a 100% turnover rate. Don't give up, keep looking, there are companies out there that will hire you.

Sep 14, 2009
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Try local work.
by: Brian

The good news for you is this: there's always a company looking for class A drivers. It may not be you dream job but it could help you get back on you feet. Yes those 3 incidents don't look good now but those are nothing compared to what some drivers have to show.

I too was at one of those 100% turnover ratio companies and ended up dumping the truck in California since the boss owed me 2 paychecks. I figured it was over for me and I'd never drive again (I was 22 and had only a year under my belt). Well after a month in the unemployment line I landed a local job delivering roofing material.

Trust me, I was overqualified but I rode it out for 2 years before a friend of mine landed me a job with him at a larger company. I didn't tell them I had only been driving a class B truck for the last 2 years but its like a bicycle, I knocked out that drive test and was back on my feet.

So there's always going to be someone that will hire you, they do want to see job stability though. Good luck!

Sep 12, 2009
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Newbie mistakes.
by: Jimmy

Not trying to bash you, but you re-enforced my point. You backed into the dock with a mickey mouse latch replacement(a piece of wire). Seen that so many times over the years.You do not rip off a door in a couple of seconds. I'm saying you didn't pay attention enough. And the guardrail incident was turning too sharp and the trailer tandems rode up over the guardrail and you kept going.

IF you were looking, you would have seen what was happening, and stopped. Just like the England truck I mentioned in Williams,Az. It seems to me you aren't aware of that 53' trailer behind you. Any safety guy will agree with me. Btw, driving a long trailer as if it was a car is the biggest mistake newbies make, by far.

I always told my students 2 things every morning before we started driving;

1. You have a 53' trailer behind you
2.There is a bump in the transmission between forward and reverse to let you know if you go past it, you will be in reverse, not first gear.

Still, I had students curbing tires and after coming to a stop, went past the bump and started out in reverse.

But, hey, Anonymous, You are not out of the game yet. There is hope for you. You may have to re-think your goals and drive local for awhile and get more experience. (food distributors,Coke/Pepsi drivers,sand and gravel, redi mix driver, Bekins Van lines) Good luck. Jimmy

Sep 12, 2009
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reply
by: Anonymous

Just to clear up a couple of things...
I appreciate your comments, but I was not "roaring out" of the dock.

Actually, when I picked up the trailer, the hook had come off and been replaced with a piece of wire. The wire came loose, the door swung free and it all happened in just a few seconds.

The guardrail was caught up under the trailer, not knocked over by it.

Sep 12, 2009
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new trucker mistakes
by: Jimmy

Saw the same question on another web site. It doesn't look good with 3 incidents in 5 weeks. To "take out" some guardrail means you didn't just brush up against it. To "pull off" a trailer door means you roared out of the dock way too fast. Lets talk about this for a second.

If you are using a tight dock, you need to do it very slowly, just for this reason. If you are leaving the dock and do so slowly, you can more than likely catch a broken door hook and take action BEFORE you rip the door off. Inch your way out. The same with a truck rear view mirror next to you. That trailer door may have come unhooked and suddenly whacks the mirror.

Last year I was in my personal vehicle passing by Williams, Az. I got off to grab a soda, and noticed an England truck that was in a motel parking lot in a very precarious position. She had attempted to u-turn in the motel lot and exit the frontage road and get back on I-40. She was about 70% through the manuever when the trailer tandems got caught up in the planter/drainage ditch and she was stuck big time, with the trailer leaning so far over, I thought it was going to tip over. I waited for the tow truck and eventually talked to the driver. I identified myself and being the helpful know-it-all that I am, I asked her at what point did she realize that she could not complete this maneuver. She replied when she saw she was stuck. I told her she should have realized her mistake long before she got this far. She could have then stopped, backed up and made the u-turn. (She had room to do it, just cut it too short)

My point is many times you can catch an accident before it happens if you are observant and not in a hurry. Just keep looking, good luck. Jimmy

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