Getting Hire With Preventable Accidents

Hey Im new on here ... hello everybody Ive been driving for a while just had my first accident and first termination. how does all this work? I dont know if the accident was non reportable or not? How long does it take to show up in clearing house etc?

Just as the last post stated in response to the last person posting int this thread, you should start your own thread providing all the details of what happened. Many experienced drivers here have worthwhile advice that can be offered. In order to give you the best advice possible, you need to be fully transparent.

Hello... And welcome.

How long does "for a while" means when it comes to CDL A experience that you have?

If you had an accident and we're terminated because of it, yes. It probably was a "DOT reportable" which means the company will put it on your DAC report. It could take 30 days but any new company will probably contact your original company and get the info anyway.

Apply everywhere. The clearinghouse pertains to failed drug tests not accidents

I have a question? I am a fairly new trucker. I have been driving for about 10 months. I had an incident back in September with Heartland, where I was at a fuel station and my tire blew as I was leaving the fuel station, which caused my trailer to hit the pilar softly. I was able to pull out of the fuel station safely to an emergency zone, so that I can check on any damages. There no damages to the tractor and trailer, no one was injured, no other drivers involved. The only thing was the pilar got knocked out of place, but the fuel station was able to put it back in place with no problem. I did my proper pretrip and the tires were brand new on that particular trailer, I was not speeding thru the fuel station by any means. The fuel station that I was instructed to go have bad pavement issues, but again I made sure not to speed thru. After I reported that incident, I got terminated. They put on my reported that I hit a fixed object and now it has been hard to find a job because alot of people deem it as a safety problem. I have tried to explain to people that I did not just drive up and hit the pillar, but it was a chain reaction to my tire blowing out. At this point, what should I do because I haven’t been driving long and I have tried to dispute this multiple times and it has not worked. I don’t think I should have to suffer on account of something I feel was out of my control as I properly checked tires and there was no damage to anything.

One tire blowing out and deflating caused enough lean of the trailer to push over a stanchion at the fuel island? Do I read your story correctly? Maybe if all the tires were deflated on one side and the stanchion were 14 feet tall, pushed over at the top by the trailer? That one would be more believable. I'm not buying your story.

That's why you're you aren't getting hired.

All the tires were not deflated it was just the one. I don’t have anything to lie about so if you cannot provide a respectful opinion then thank you. The pillar did not fall over or anything as the fuel station was able to put it back in place with no problem. There were no tickets, not DOT officers involved and again no damage as I provided pictures to the company.

One tire blowing out and deflating caused enough lean of the trailer to push over a stanchion at the fuel island? Do I read your story correctly? Maybe if all the tires were deflated on one side and the stanchion were 14 feet tall, pushed over at the top by the trailer? That one would be more believable. I'm not buying your story.

That's why you're you aren't getting hired.

Alisha, we are all drivers here. None of us see your story as legitimate. We understand you are new to this and seriously need some advice. I'll try to help.

Here is where we cringe when we hear you explain how you hit the concrete stanchion...

I have tried to explain to people that I did not just drive up and hit the pillar, but it was a chain reaction to my tire blowing out.

Everyone knows you turned too soon and the side of your trailer struck the pillar. The so-called "chain reaction" was in your control. You reacted to a blown tire maybe, or maybe the contact with the pillar messed up the tire. We don't know, perhaps you do. We do know that a blown trailer tire does not cause a chain reaction causing the truck to head for the nearest concrete pillar. You were going very slow. The only reaction that tire would cause is from you - from the driver.

At this point, what should I do

If you want to continue as a driver you have to acknowledge your fault. I know it's tough. You feel it wasn't your fault. Trucking is like that. The responsibilities in this job are humbling at times. We are always best served by learning from our mistakes rather than excusing them and blaming something or someone.

Any prospective employers want to hear you say, "I made a rookie mistake. I turned without allowing enough room for my trailer. Here is what I learned from this experience..." That acknowledgement will help you get hired. Everytime you tell them this accident was a "chain reaction from a blown trailer tire" you put your own application straight into their trash pile.

Trust me please. We are trying to help you. We are not being disrespectful or accusing you of lying. It's not easy being a rookie with a mistake on their record. We understand. The best way to get this problem cleared up is to realize what really caused the accident. Without that understanding, you have learned nothing. Anyone hiring you needs that assurance that you understand the consequences of driving a massive vehicle. Here's your chance to prove you do, but it requires some humility and honesty.

All the tires were not deflated it was just the one. I don’t have anything to lie about so if you cannot provide a respectful opinion then thank you. The pillar did not fall over or anything as the fuel station was able to put it back in place with no problem. There were no tickets, not DOT officers involved and again no damage as I provided pictures to the company.

One tire blowing out and deflating caused enough lean of the trailer to push over a stanchion at the fuel island? Do I read your story correctly? Maybe if all the tires were deflated on one side and the stanchion were 14 feet tall, pushed over at the top by the trailer? That one would be more believable. I'm not buying your story.

That's why you're you aren't getting hired.

Old School and PackRat are highly experienced drivers who have seen pretty much everything there is to be seen in trucking. They are giving you solid advice and truth. It's not that anyone wants to blame you, but the reality is that objects, vehicles, and people don't get hit by trucks without there being a mistake made by someone. Since stationary objects don't move, hitting a stationary object is a preventable incident. Since the incident is preventable, employers with whom you submit applications are expecting you to take ownership of what you did wrong. By trying to explain it away as something that happened to you, no company is going to give you a chance because they don't see any reason to believe that you won't make the same mistake. In the eyes of trucking companies, you are a huge liability by refusing to own the mistake and explain what you learned from it.

So, don't submit anymore applications until you have resolved to owning this mistake as 100% your own and have a clear explanation as to what you learned from it.

Post those pictures of your "I don't know what happened because it certainly couldn't be my fault my poor tire just went flat" incident on here for a more "respectful opinion".

I always save photos from each time I encounter increased gravitational forces around fixed objects that cause me to make incidental contact.

I completely agree with everything the others have pointed out. It's true that new tires can fail. However only blowing 1 of the 4 tires on one side wouldn't cause you to lean. The other tires would support it, or blow out as well if its loaded too heavy. Most of us on this forum at one point have had a trailer tire blowout on us. My only blowout happened doing 70 mph on I35. At those speeds i would've laid the trailer on it's side if your explanation was valid.

Many people have made much bigger mistakes than you did but remained employed/hireable. Until you're able to take responsibility that you weren't watching your mirrors as you pulled out nobody is willing to hire you. As drivers we don't have a boss breathing down our neck all day. Our employers expect us to do our jobs professionally and safely. When you lie about what happened you lose all integrity in their eyes and without that how can they keep you around? To them, they're going to ask if you're lying about this then what else are lying about or just not reporting.

To anybody else reading this accidents do happen. The events leading up to the accident, as well as how you handle it after will determine your fate. We've had members here do far more damage and remain employed. Another driver was able to get hired after 5 preventables. When you own your mistakes it shows safety that you understand what happened and what you can do to prevent it from happening again. When you try to lie or make an elaborate story up about it it sends them a message you weren't paying attention or lying. Our employers have seen it all. They're able to spot lies very easily.

Seriously, as Old School mentioned explain exactly what happened, how it happened, what you learned from it and how you're going to avoid repeating it. Alisha, you can use this link to Apply For Truck Driving Jobs. You fill out one form and it'll be sent to numerous companies.

Good luck, please let us know how this turns out.

I just had a trailer tire blowout the other night. Thankfully no leaning or veering towards poles happened. Happened on i5 doing 65. I calmly pulled over to the shoulder, put out my triangles, inspected the damage, called breakdown and dispatch. In the 5 hours it took for breakdown to get there I watched a couple of movies on my 40 inch TV that I fabricated mounting for the other day while waiting on a shipper. It did cause a chain reaction of me and the refrigerator though. I ended up eating 🙃