I Messed Up

So I was at my receiver, and had to an alley dock. The only way to complete the maneuver was to hug a tree line. My truck is now bent near the passenger side steps. is my company going to come after me when I turn in my truck? This happened a few days ago and I did not realize until today... I'm really nervous about it do to the fact that I am new and don't want to destroy my DAC

Joe, you mention turning your truck in. What's the deal - are they firing you?

I've seen stuff like this happen to a lot of rookies and usually what happens is they will either make them take some online safety courses or maybe even put them with a trainer for a little more training. It's not like you hurt anybody or caused any damage to someone else's equipment. This is a typical rookie boo-boo. You didn't really elaborate on how bad it is, but don't just jump ship thinking that is going to save your DAC.

Whoops! Wait a minute, I just now realized that you made this statement:

This happened a few days ago and I did not realize until today

That right there makes it a problem.

Joe, what ever happens on your DAC is up to the company - they can report it or not, but they probably will.

They aren't going to come after you for payment - that is what insurance is for.

You should not quit over this, now if they are letting you go - well, that is different, there is nothing you can do about it but move on.

Your biggest mistake was not reporting it right away, but if you genuinely did not realize you scraped the trees then it must be very minor damage. Still on your very next pre-trip it should have been caught and reported, so there are several things going on here that are problematic.

Here's a tip for you and for all newbies - when backing up into a dock or a parking lot, always roll your windows down, turn off any radios that could be distracting you. This way you will always hear the dreadful scraping noise if you start to make contact with something. I witnessed once at a truck stop a guy backing his truck and slowly continuing to crush the front end of another truck that was blowing his air horn at the guy to try and warn him. The driver was a young guy with his windows rolled up and loud music going. I could hear his music and see him bobbing his head to the beat as he kept on moving in reverse despite the fact that he had already made contact with the truck that was blowing their air horn - It was almost surreal to witness.

Joe- Oldschool covered it real good, especially the questions he asked. No ticket, no one hurt, no other vehicle damage which are positive. There's several drivers that have done worse as a Rookie and did not lose their job- like the driver who took out the traffic light-$1250 damage, and he is still driving today.

I'm not quitting, I'm just worried that if I do quit, even in a year or two that it will get me in trouble. Thank you for such a thorough response by the way

Joe, it was an unfortunate mistake. Take a deep breath and just try to learn from it. We all understand just how tight some of these places are that we have to come and go at - it really is amazing that some folks manage to do a million safe miles.

It sounds to me like it was minimal damage. Somebody in Safety will probably want to talk to you, but other than that I think it will just pass on over.

Also Joe, what ever you do just hang in there for now. Like I said they may not even report it, but they can. Don't worry about it too much. We've often seen new drivers get themselves all worked up over a little fender bender like this so much that they are distracted and then a few days later they have a worse accident just because they were stressing over the prior little incident.

Here's the thing about that DAC report: the older an incident is on there the less it will give you trouble when applying for a new job. I can't remember where you are working, but you really should stay there for a year, and quite possibly after a year has gone by you just might be saying to yourself, "You know this aint such a bad job after all, I'm just now getting the hang of things and they are keeping me moving real well - I think I like it here!" It doesn't mean that you can't get hired just because there is something on it - if that were the case we would really be in a driver shortage. This was very minor and it's not gonna make you into damaged goods, but since it is recent you don't want to plan on making a move for a little while. Hang in there, you are gonna recover just fine.

Let it be a lesson learned - that's all, just a lesson learned.

I have never returned a truck in the same condition that I got it in. They either never asked about it, and if they did I simply told them that's how I got it. Don't worry so much, even if they do put it on your DAC in the future that doesn't mean no one else will hire you - its just an incident with a few scratches.

Thanks for all of the replies. It helps calm my nerves haha. I'm preparing myself now for the scenario where my company will order me to pay for the damages. The truck will need a new thing side skirt, for a 2016 international pro star. Hopefully only a few hundred dollars.

my company will order me to pay for the damages.

Joe, this rarely happens in legitimate companies. Minor body work on a company truck is just taken care of. You might end up in a conference with Safety, and a wait for the body shop at most. Then you get back in your truck to drive.

And you will now pay more attention to the landscape around you when you do your backing.

Joe, sorry to hear of your mishap. Minor and something that you likely will prevent in the future. I am in very tight Walmart docks constantly; concrete hip walls, yellow polls, stand pipes, light polls, and other hazards and obstructions defining the tight perimeter of the dock area. In addition to the other pieces of advice, abfew additional things that could help you, GOAL (more than once if need be). Especially important if unfamiliar with the dock area and if snow and ice has accumulated. Use the spot mirrors to maintain distance from polls and hip walls that are below the area ahead of your side view mirrors as you back. Try to minimize the amout of significant "oversteer" adjustments and corrections.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Safe travels.

Joe, sorry to hear of your mishap. Minor and something that you likely will prevent in the future. I am in very tight Walmart docks constantly; concrete hip walls, yellow polls, stand pipes, light poles, and other hazards and obstructions defining the tight perimeter of the dock area. In addition to the other pieces of advice, a few additional things that could help you, GOAL (more than once if need be). Especially important if unfamiliar with the dock area and if snow and ice has accumulated. Use the spot mirrors to maintain distance from poles and hip walls that are below the area ahead of your side view mirrors as you back. Try to minimize the amount of significant "over-steer" adjustments and corrections.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Safe travels.

This photo is a great example for all of the above: