Fired From An Accident

Unfortunately I would think most companies will believe you "drifted over" because you either fell asleep, where on a phone or where distracted in some other manner.

If the road was that narrow you should have been extra cautious to avoid running off it.

Unfortunately you didn't hurt your career you may have killed it as at fault roll overs are hard to come back from. I would try Central Tansport if they have a location in your area, but you might have to go back OTR for a bit to reestablish your driving record so I would try CR England, Western Express, Carolina Cargo they usually are willing to give second chances.

But you do face a up hill battle

Sorry, I did forget to tell you the nature of the accident. It was a rollover and I was cited for it. I was on a narrow 2 lane state highway that didn't allow you for much error if you made a mistake. Well I made a mistake and drifted off the road slightly and it was enough that it just sucked me into the revine and the truck rolled. It could happen to anyone really. Unfortunately it happened to me. Everyone is bound to make a mistake that can hurt their career.

Tip 1: Don’t casually downplay a rollover accident.

Tip 1: Don’t casually downplay a rollover accident.

Right?? Rolling a fuel tanker is kind of a biggie.

It was a rollover... I made a mistake... It could happen to anyone really. Unfortunately it happened to me. Everyone is bound to make a mistake that can hurt their career.

Michael thanks for the details. You see, without the information you left out, we couldn't make sense of your predicament. Now you've given us the meat and potatoes, and we see you minimizing a serious accident.

I'm not sure what to say, except this...

Never say anything like the lines I quoted from you above while speaking with a recruiter. You've got to own that this was a grave error and really bad driving on your part. That's the only attitude that indicates you might have learned something from this. Anything else is really hurting your chances of finding another trucking job. They want to know what you learned from this experience. If what you learned is that "It could happen to anyone really. Unfortunately it happened to me." You're telling them "I didn't learn anything and I really don't understand much about personal responsibility."

We aren't trying to be judgmental, but we want you to realize how to move on from this. Your current approach will never get you anywhere. Own it. Embrace how serious this is. Try to realize how critical this is. It's a serious hindrance to your career. It's a black mark that will not go away. As long as you think it was just something that happens to everyone, and your time just came up, you are saying you don't realize the importance of the diligence and responsibility required to drive these beautiful big rigs on the public roadways.

Totally agree with the previous posts. There are small accidents or incidents like clipping a pole and blowing a trailer tire (did it), or bumping a dock too hard and busting out a taillight, or turning too tight and clipping the mirror on the tractor parked beside you at a truck stop.

Everyone does make mistakes, definitely, but a rollover is in a class all by itself, whether as a new guy or a seasoned driver.

This may be a nearly insurmountable obstacle for you to overcome in your future. The best advice is to own your mistake as the serious accident it was, learn from it (why it happened and what would you do differently if that situation were to occur again), and fill out a lot of applications. Be prepared for mostly "No Way" responses, but keep trying. That's all you can do at this point.

I wish I knew how to include links to other threads in TT, but I'm not that techie; just figured out how to update my avatar... (reminds me of our son chasing his daddy when he was a young'un, and daddy was leaving OTR.... again.) :'(

Anyway, look up "The Persian Conversion" 's diary of HIS rollover, and see how HE owned it. (and effectively KEPT his job....)

It's a great thread that all new (and not so new) drivers should read, IMHO. ^^^

Best of luck to you on your journey, O/P... no matter.

Anne :)

ps: We drive (well, my hubby drives, I sometimes ride) the two lanes here in Ohio on a daily. Gotta be not just ON your game, but ahead of it. Been driving local / intrastate for 5 years plus. OTR was easier on the interstates, imho.

Michael,

You might want to read this:

Persian Conversion Rollover Story

BTW, there is happy ending.

Yeah, narrow roads can be tricky to navigate, but that doesn't mean you were being reckless. As for bouncing back, I agree it's going to be an uphill battle. It sucks that one mistake can overshadow all the hard work you've put in. But don't lose hope. There are companies out there willing to give second chances, like the ones you mentioned. It might mean starting from scratch or going back OTR for a bit, but it's not the end of the road.

....But don't lose hope. There are companies out there willing to give second chances, like the ones you mentioned. It might mean starting from scratch or going back OTR for a bit, but it's not the end of the road.

This was 4.5 years ago. The economy then was better than what it has been in the past 2 years and especially the past year. Companies are folding left and right and any accidents, especially a rollover, is a career killer. Good drivers, with clean records are having a hard time getting hired on if they have been laid off.

We never heard back from that fella to know if he got hired on anywhere or had to take a different type of job. We will probably never know.