Profile For Big Al

Thanks for the information old school. I’m going to check back in at the offers they have and see when I can start with them. I’ll keep everyone updated on to what happens and how it goes.

Al, do yourself a huge favor and stop reading internet reviews from the losers. I started my trucking career at Western Express. I got a great foundation there and they ALWAYS treated me right. I heard all the losers complaining and griping when I was there. Those people can't even figure out how to turn in their own paperwork for payment. It's no wonder they can't get paid - it's their own fault.

That's probably your best option right now. Were I in your shoes, I'd be thrilled to be running a big truck for Western Express. Jump on it! Show them some responsibility and they will keep you really busy. I loved my time there as a flatbedder.

Thanks for the reply. I’ve been offered a job with western express. Just been sketchy about going to work for them. As I’ve seen people say they don’t get a paycheck until they are In there on truck. I just can’t afford to go the week of training in Nashville and then 4 weeks with trainer without a check.

I knew it! This was exactly the type of accident I pictured in my mind while reading this topic, but I refrained from commenting, as you guys were taking care of it nicely anyway.

Big Al, if you learn nothing else from this conversation, at least learn that you need to be upfront and completely transparent when seeking guidance here. We can't help you otherwise.

As Rainy said, apply everywhere. But don't just stop there. Own your mistakes when talking with the companies. Leave your vagueness at the door, and with hat in hand show what you've learned from your mistake. You can recover from this, but it starts with you.

Old school your right in most part. But the low clearance sign they wasn’t one. And the clearance sign for the bridge was on the top of the bridge like most are. The clearance height sign was actually over in the far right hand side and was bent. I didn’t know where the clearance sign was until I walked around and was looking for it. But I accept responsibility for what happened. Im just trying figure out if how to start over fresh. The accident isn’t on any of DAC or anything. Also like I stated before I didn’t receive a W2 from the company to file taxes. I’m just wondering if I could get by with starting out as a new driver and going back out with a trainer and not even reporting anything about the company. Sorry if I’m aggravating you all, but I’m just trying to figure out what I can do.

My accident was I struck a overhead object. I did everything by the book called the police and reported it back to my terminal. No injuries and no one had to go to the hospital. Like I said I drove the tractor and trailer back to the yard. When I called the terminal the woman told me long as the police didn’t cite me I wouldn’t have to do anything. Well a few minutes later another cop showed up and he cited me for not following a traffic device(road sign). Didn’t get no ticket or anything for the accident itself. When I told the woman back at the terminal what I got cited for she told me to bring the equipment on to the yard and then come to her office and she’d have to send me for a drug test when I got back there. And I was going on home time because I was done scheduled for it that week. So I wasn’t suppose to return till Friday for home time. But ended up going back to the yard on Thursday. The accident happened on Wednesday and I didn’t have enough time to drive back that day which I told the woman at the terminal that. She said it’d be fine just report to her office as soon as I got to The yard.

I never got a W-2 from the company either to file on taxes. Called to get it and they said I didn’t have one. So I wonder if it’s like I never worked for them.

Big Al, I thought your story was strange due to the vagueness of it, but it gets even more ***** as you add the details. I'm not sure what to tell you.

Yeah. It was a small company I worked for. They only had like 100 trucks. But the accident was just a preventable not a dot reportable. But when I applied for a company after that accident they said the company reported on my DAC as a dot reportable. But I got a copy of my DAC like a month later after applying for that company from hire right and nothing is on my report. It’s clean don’t even show work history. So I asked the recruiter from the company I applied for and he confirmed he got that information when he called the company not from my report. I’m just wondering if I ever wanted to go back into trucking if I could just fill the application as a new driver with no experience, because I didn’t get a W-2 or anything. But I don’t plan on going back in the industry any time soon I have a good paying job and home every day.

As stated, very vague. But if you were ordered to take a DOT drug screen, and you drove from Texas to Tennessee, I've got a feeling that they marked you as a refusal. When ordered to take a DOT, you go directly to the collection site. Not to Wendy's to get lunch or anything else... that is out of your company's hands. It is governed by the fed's.

This is exactly what I was thinking. They probably expected you to go to an urgent care type of.facility immediately. Unfortunately this may have been a horrible case of miscommunication and rookie lack of understanding of processes. If I read that right, you returned to the terminal for home time, not the drug test.

I would probably be begging for.my job back, request more training, and offer to pay for a hair test myself. However, you waited 6 months to bother trying to return. THAT looks suspicious, like you were waiting for the hair to grow out.

No the woman I talked to with the company told me that when I got back to the yard that she would send me the facility they use to take a drug test. I understand that it was my fault and I’ll need to do training. But the cop that came out didn’t even make a accident report he just gave me a ticket for not following a traffic device. When I applied for a new job and they called to checked that I worked for the old company that’s when the company told them I had a dot recordable accident and was terminated. Which I terminated when I got to the yard, because even before I left I asked if I still needed to do the drug test and was told no( it was going to be a simple pee test). I pulled my hireright report a few months ago and it show nothing on it. It didn’t even show that I worked for the company and I never got a W-2 from the company either to file on taxes. Called to get it and they said I didn’t have one. So I wonder if it’s like I never worked for them.

Something doesn’t seem right here. Companies don’t fire for one preventable. So either Big Al ain’t dropping the whole story or that one preventable was a doozy like a roll over or something.

Big Al...you need to drop the whole story, in order for these people to properly help you.

No the company first told me I would just have to take a drug test and long as I passed I’d be good(I can pass a drug test anytime). When I got back to the yard for my home time and went to the office to go take my drug test. Instead of them sending me for it the woman in safety told me just to go ahead and clean my truck out. But it wasn’t a roll over or nothing major.

So it wasn’t just a preventable. You don’t get asked to take a drug test for a preventable. You are asked to take a drug test for a DOT recordable accident. Which means equipment was damage enough where one or both vehicles needed to be towed.

What type of accident? Did you rear end another vehicle? Head on?

You could try some of the second chance companies. Carolina Cargo, Western Express...good luck

Something doesn’t seem right here. Companies don’t fire for one preventable. So either Big Al ain’t dropping the whole story or that one preventable was a doozy like a roll over or something.

Big Al...you need to drop the whole story, in order for these people to properly help you.

No the company first told me I would just have to take a drug test and long as I passed I’d be good(I can pass a drug test anytime). When I got back to the yard for my home time and went to the office to go take my drug test. Instead of them sending me for it the woman in safety told me just to go ahead and clean my truck out. But it wasn’t a roll over or nothing major.

So it wasn’t just a preventable. You don’t get asked to take a drug test for a preventable. You are asked to take a drug test for a DOT recordable accident. Which means equipment was damage enough where one or both vehicles needed to be towed.

What type of accident? Did you rear end another vehicle? Head on?

You could try some of the second chance companies. Carolina Cargo, Western Express...good luck

No the truck wasn’t towed drove it from Texas all the way back to Tennessee. No injuries and no one else was involved but me and the truck I was driving. Was a DOT recordable. It’s only reported as a accident from the company on my DAC report.

Something doesn’t seem right here. Companies don’t fire for one preventable. So either Big Al ain’t dropping the whole story or that one preventable was a doozy like a roll over or something.

Big Al...you need to drop the whole story, in order for these people to properly help you.

No the company first told me I would just have to take a drug test and long as I passed I’d be good(I can pass a drug test anytime). When I got back to the yard for my home time and went to the office to go take my drug test. Instead of them sending me for it the woman in safety told me just to go ahead and clean my truck out. But it wasn’t a roll over or nothing major.

Big Al, I see you're from Kentucky. I know my company has hired rookie drivers from other companies that had a preventable or 3. They take it on a case by case basis. How much driving experience do you have, and how many driving jobs have you had?

One accident and only one driving job. I’ve got about 3 months experience

I was wondering if companies that would hire you with one preventable accident. It is listed only on my DAC report. The accident is over 6 months old, but I don’t have any driving experience since then. I’d appreciate any and all the information I could get on this.