Had My First (and Hopefully Only) Accident

I am still with the company and am given hazmat loads to top it off. I have to admit I am so gun shy when backing that I pull forward to straighten out even though I have plenty of room just because I am so afraid of hitting something else. It took me 10 minutes to back into the spot my truck is currently sitting in. Just saying, accidents happen, yeah I don't want it to happen again but still pretty scary.

I know the feeling. If I start parking, and someone comes along and starts waiting, I pull out and find an easier spot

Hey Miss Miyoshi, really sorry you got in an accident. I'll join the club and admit I also had a very minor accident. It sucked, but now I am much more careful and GOAL more.

As for this:

You know how it is. Paige wants me to get out of the habit of stopping whenever I'm turning, especially during backing.

...sorry, if you're in a close quarters situation, that's lousy advice. Ideally, yes, you should avoid stopping every time you go around a curve, but you do what you have to do. Ideally, all of us would be so good at backing that we would never GOAL because it takes too much time and holds up traffic in truck stops sometimes; but we all GOAL because we are not perfect and do whatever we have to to make sure we don't hit anything. In fact, Swift's policy is to GOAL at least once on every single back, even the "easy" ones, no matter how much experience you have. So I think it's safe to say, if you need to stop a couple times while making a turn in close quarters to make sure you're clear, by all means do it. I hate to tell you to ignore your trainer, but trainers aren't always right.

Good luck out there and stay safe.

Agreed. You do whatever you have to do to be safe. PeRIOD. That is the Prime way. If you need to slow down on the road before an exit then put your hazards on downshift and the people behind you will go around. If you lose gear in a traffic jam... do the same. Those people don't know you are new.... they'll think you have mechanical problems. If they go around you then wait until you are clear to do what you have to do.

I was thinking you might not have that many miles yet... so they might expect it more.it's like you don't expect a first grader to know more than a 5th grader. She liked to do a ton of miles one week then take the next off... so we averaged the same miles per week as what I am doing solo.

No offense but you won't be staying with her after your 30k. She tells everyone that and never does it. She told me she was going on vacation and passed me off to her filthy pig of a crumb ball best friend who urinated in my iced tea and didn't tell me. Now I go for blood tests every 3 mos cause I don't know what he has. She never went on vacation either... it was just a way for him to double his miles cause he was crying poor. SOME trainers see trainees as cheap labor and that is all it is about. Get your miles in... do it safely... I double clutched my whole 3 mos with her. .. she didnt like it but too bad. When I got back to prime to upgrade the logs dept told me he edited my logs to remove the on duty time. They took his training stays away temporarily. When I gave then pics of the trucks filth.. the DOT violations.. and told of rhe verbal abuse.. they took his status away permanently. They made him pay for the blood tests and gave me back the $300 I gave him for breaking his gps... that still worked. I think he got fired in the end. She is much better than him lol Worst case scenario you will do extra miles which you wanted more time with a trainer anyway. Best case scenario you upgrade on time and learn solo. If you really really want you could always come team as company with me for a month or two. Not as a trainer... but a team. But it's my truck..so u gotta deal with my cat lol.

Thank you SO MUCH everyone! You've all done me a world of good. I slept it off and now I feel much better. I've decided I'm going to stick up for myself more with regards to my training. If I need to slow down I just will. I'm not going to do anything anymore that makes me uncomfortable to keep her time schedule. And I'm going to wake her up whenever I have even a ghost of a question or concern, no matter how much she shows me she's not pleased. I'm a trainee, not a co-driver. I'm still learning, and I'm not ashamed of that. I've made it very clear how sorry I am for the accident, but now it's time to move on from it. She said that she can't trust me in stops anymore and I'm OK with that.

Rainy, I will DEFINITELY call you when I'm alone sometime in the next week or two. I can't thank you enough for all your wise words. And I love kitties!!!! It will be good furbaby therapy until I can bring my Alfie with me. I'm definitely interested, and we can talk more after my training is over. Who knows? Maybe by then I'll have the confidence I need to solo it.

Again, thank you all for everything. This has definitely been a learning experience, and I'm determined to make it a positive one.

For now, we're waiting for someone to repo were our load then we'll take the empty damaged trailer to a yard for repair. She wants to go to Springfield then maybe take a week off. I hope she does. I would love to get home for a few days, lick my wounds, then come back and be ready to kick butt and take names.

*repower our load

Thank you SO MUCH everyone! You've all done me a world of good. I slept it off and now I feel much better. I've decided I'm going to stick up for myself more with regards to my training. If I need to slow down I just will. I'm not going to do anything anymore that makes me uncomfortable to keep her time schedule. And I'm going to wake her up whenever I have even a ghost of a question or concern, no matter how much she shows me she's not pleased. I'm a trainee, not a co-driver. I'm still learning, and I'm not ashamed of that. I've made it very clear how sorry I am for the accident, but now it's time to move on from it. She said that she can't trust me in stops anymore and I'm OK with that.

Rainy, I will DEFINITELY call you when I'm alone sometime in the next week or two. I can't thank you enough for all your wise words. And I love kitties!!!! It will be good furbaby therapy until I can bring my Alfie with me. I'm definitely interested, and we can talk more after my training is over. Who knows? Maybe by then I'll have the confidence I need to solo it.

Again, thank you all for everything. This has definitely been a learning experience, and I'm determined to make it a positive one.

For now, we're waiting for someone to repo were our load then we'll take the empty damaged trailer to a yard for repair. She wants to go to Springfield then maybe take a week off. I hope she does. I would love to get home for a few days, lick my wounds, then come back and be ready to kick butt and take names.

Good for you MM. Exactly how I expected you to bounce back. Don't let the lows get you too low, and the highs get you too high,...even keel.

I want to stress to you that you just need to get through the training as if it is book camp. Once finished it will be good. Btw.... if she is staying in springfield...she should be getting you home. She paid for my flight to philly and drove me to St Louis cause it was half the price of springfield airport. If you don't go home you should be getting paid....even for just sitting there cause it is her choice.

Also... keep in mind that although she is a good person... and can be fun... she is going through the hormones like crazy. She absolutely has no problem with you waking her up. She won't complain about that. AND she floats the gears with "grind it til you find it". When I did it she said "why are you grinding my gears". I was like... "why are you training if you don't expect students to grind your gears". The hormones really gave her an attitude at times... then 10 min later she was laughing.

When I told her I wanted more backing... she claimed that was one of the reasons she sent me to her friend... he was intermodal and backed several times a day... unlike teaming where you drive forward for 2000 miles lol. She did treat me as if the backing cost her money cause I took too long... was time we could have spent on the road.

Just remember... not only is she getting double the miles with you... but she's going to get a big bonus when you upgrade... stay 6 mos and stay a year. Her friend was supposed to get mine and give it to her...but I'm SURE he's not getting any bonus from me. Which means she isnt. My stuff wasn't even off her truck cause I was supposed to be going back out with her and Sh3 already had another student waiting in springfield... but had told me I could stay on the truck for 2 more months.

Just get thru it. And we are here.

Here's a phrase to keep in mind:

Drive your own road.

You're the one guiding that beast down the road. Not your trainer, not the 4-wheeler next to you or the supertrucker that wants you to move out if his way.

The steering wheel is in your hands, and you're going to get your load delivered (safely), no matter what.

Drive you own road. Don't be intimidated by others.

One more thing.... I had a really interesting training period between her and her friend.. and my first trainer who quit prime to be home more often.

But I never let individuals tarnish my idea of Prime.when I told the FM or even above them what happened..problems were solved and I was taken care of. I didn't feel as though they didn't believe me. So whatever issues arise... be sure that Prime management will help you.

When I upgraded I asked for more backing help. They gave me 8 hrs with 2 different guys before I hit the road solo. 8 hours is more than I got with her in 3 mos!!!

Not all trainers are the same.... I have lists of people's phone numbers you can call for help. I label the day and night depending on when they drive lol. You should do that in sprimo... talk to ppl and get numbers. MOST drivers at prime will help you

MM you stated that turning is your weak point. Knowing how long to wait before you start the turn is critical. I had to train my replacement when I moved from the Dodge 5500 with a 44' gooseneck to the Semi. That dodge and trailer were longer than a semi with a 53' trailer bumper to bumper. What I had to do for him was to tell him when to start the turn. He was turning too soon for the corners and I had to tell him to keep going before turning.

Are you driving on a permit or do you have your full class A license? If you are driving on a permit then your trainer MUST be in the passenger seat while the truck is in motion and you are driving.

As for the accident, I knocked down a stoplight my first day. Nothing after that.