Had My First (and Hopefully Only) Accident

I am in a truck stop, coming around a corner of a line of parked trucks to get to the fuel island. I didn't turn wide enough and clipped the corner of a parked trailer with the middle of my trailer. Luckily, no damage to the other trailer, but I bent a couple of crossbeams on my trailer and punched a small hole to where you can see the foam.

I feel awful. I know my trainer is ****ed at me, and she said it was $500 down the drain. I assured her I would pay for it, since it was my fault.

Waiting for road assist to show up to assess damage. Photos sent, and everyone thinks it's drivable and just needs to be patched up, but they want a tech to look at it first before continuing on the Florida. (We're in Anthony, TX right now.) I'm trying not to cry too loudly so my trainer doesn't wake up, and trying to work up the nerve to drive again. I'm worried it means I'm kicked out of training, but she said it should be just more training miles added and that she's seen worse accidents by students. I hope she's correct. I'm pretty devastated.

You are NOT getting kicked out of training!!! Trust me... I could tell you dozens of accident stories and they sorta expect you to hit thinks in training. They'll take the trailer back to prime where they have a "trailer re build dept"... yep they get banged so.much they have a whole dept to re build them.

And as for the $500.... that is part of being a trainer... you are responsible for what your trainees do.

Eight five six. Two eight three eighty eight hundred

Don't you cry. .. she will like it

Eight five six. Two eight three eighty eight hundred

What does that mean?

Thanks Rainy. We'll talk when I'm alone. I don't want to do it right now. I'll likely not be able to talk without crying.

I was under the impression accidents in training = fail. That's not true?

Thanks Rainy. We'll talk when I'm alone. I don't want to do it right now. I'll likely not be able to talk without crying.

I was under the impression accidents in training = fail. That's not true?

Usually not a failure unless it's a rollover or hitting a low overpass. Shake it off, learn from it. Watch your blind side mirror at all times when swinging right. Drive your trailer. Never forget that.

Turning radius has definitely been a learning curve with me. Today proves it. Hit it on the driver's side, no less. Blargh. I want a double whiskey Xanax on the rocks with a vodka chaser.

Not true. I know two women who each took a front end off a parked truck.... one got 10k more miles and the other was given 5k miles plus she paid a % but that was what she worked out with prime.

For a trailer that cause no damage to others property????? You'll probably get a "don't do it again".

One guy passed his test and got so excited he sped around thw next day with his trainer and took down a 6ft fence at a truck stop.

When I was psd I hit a parked trailer. .. he was in a rest stop out too far and trainer kept saying you got it.. you got it... I didnt.. scraped the whole side. That is how I learned about trailer rebuild lol.

I'm not saying to hit things...but like g town said.. learn from it. And she will get over it. Call me sometime and I'll tell you why I never go to Sapp bros.... that you boasted about lol. If she can't handle issues of training then she shouldn't be training. Period.

We'll definitely talk. Tech is here. I'll update in a bit.

Listen, you're fine. Just try to relax.

Just take it slow when you're in tight places. You have to know what's going on around you at all times and it's a huge truck so you have to go slow enough to allow yourself to stay on top of everything. That means going way slower than you would in a car in tight places. It should feel like you're crawling at a snail's pace anytime you're in a parking lot.

I mean, think about it - if you never went faster than 1 mph in a parking lot would you ever hit anything? No, because you would have such a long time to see any dangers coming that you'd never hit em. It would feel like you're moving in slow motion at that speed.

So take it as slow as you need to at all times to know for a fact you're not going to hit anything and you know where everything is. I said in another thread this morning that getting in a hurry or making assumptions will cause a whole lot of bumping into things.

Just try to relax and forget it. If you're upset you won't be focused properly and you'll compound your problems. Get behind the wheel, try to relax, take a few deep breaths, and just focus on the moment. Take it slow.

We all make mistakes. The key in trucking is to make sure you don't make the big one. You made a tiny one. It's a dinger. You're brand new, trucking is extremely difficult to begin with, so they'll let it slide. Just try to relax, focus on the moment, and forget about it. Move forward. That's the kind of mental toughness it takes to make it in trucking and I'm sure you have plenty of it. You'll be fine. Jump back in there and go get em.

Eight five six. Two eight three eighty eight hundred

What does that mean?

My phone number lol. So spiders don't grab it from the Web and call me. You hit trucker guys can call me all u want though lol