I Was Terminated By " Werner Enterprises"

As was already explained, you were in the wrong lane for the turn.

That being said, a member here not too long ago was involved in a preventable accident. If memory serves correctly he obtained new employment pretty quickly. There are a lot of companies needing drivers and some may be willing to take you even with the accident. It may very well depend o how up front and honest you are about it and how you handle it going forward.

Woody

Karim T. Here is the deal. The termination is there and nothing that can be done about it. Time to move on. Sure there will be some companies that will say no but you have to apply at more than just a few. There are roughly 1.5 million companies registered with the dot and fmcsa. There are plenty to choose from. Apply at them all if you have to.

You say it's not on your driving record....good. That's a start. Start applying everywhere. I don't just mean the large carriers. I mean the large and small ones. It will not be easy but it can be done.

Yup...step out there...put in apps EVERYWHERE...then YOU pick who you want to work for...not just taking the first offer that rolls down the pike. And Werner ???? Who needs 'em ??? theres alot of new drivers out there for them to pick up....BUT...I think it may be a little more than the fender bender that cost you your job. So now you have to sit down....look in a mirror, and ask yourself the tough questions. Did you complain alot to dispatch ( they hate that, ya know) especially if theres nothing that can be done. Did you refuse any loads or runs ? ( they REALLY hate that) it just cost you money, ya know. And irritated dispatch. Were you less than polite to dispatch, shippers, receivers ? Thats deadly , plain and simple...you will be paid back with triple the grief.

Like I said, I'm sure it was more than the wreck....You need to figure out where you made them mad...and NOT do it to your next employer. It isn't worth it in the long run...you complain, they hang up the phone, and you are the one they will give the bad load to next time. WHEREAS..If you are the happy polite one, they hang up the phone, and get you the good loads, cuz YOU brighten their day...big difference.

Now...try this link, fill out the app, it will be sent to a bunch of companies....Apply For Truck Driving Jobs Then go here........Truck Driving Jobs and fill out more apps.....then you can wait for them to call you, or you can call them...BUT one thing I would suggest is for you to check your DAC....Werner may have put something on there. And you will have to be honest about why Werner is nolonger your employer...its better if you tell your next employer, rather than letting Werner surprise them...... Good Luck...now get back on that Horse !!!!

Sadly, A scratch and dent can result in loss of job! Fortunately, there is a job out there waiting for you. Trucking Jobs are one of the most consistent opportunities available today, even with a preventable accident on your record.

Don't worry! This is not the end of your professional driving career unless you decide to make that choice. Everyone makes mistakes and hopefully learn a valuable lesson from them. But in light of what happened, It is what it is. Own it and deal with the consequences. But surely don't let it be the end, just because your Employer (Werner) didn't take the time or effort to re-certify you after a traffic related accident.

Having an accident is not the worst thing that could have happened to you, Everyday somewhere out there people are losing their lives for just being out on the road. The statistics are amazing, 5,000 truckers lose their life any given year, 30,000 plus "civilians" die on American roadways.

Consider yourself lucky no one was injured or worse....

To all thanks for sharing you talents , its best to learn from others experience then to actually learn from our own mistakes especially in the trucking field. Keep the faith and learn from whats been stated about this common error with new drivers.

To all thanks for sharing you talents , its best to learn from others experience then to actually learn from our own mistakes especially in the trucking field. Keep the faith and learn from whats been stated about this common error with new drivers.

I second that, and thanks to you,karim for sharing you story here. You are helping more than you may realize. As a new Truck Driver this is valuable info. Keep on Trucking.

If turning left you want to be in the furtherest lane to the right if there are two turn lanes. If you are turning right you want to be in the furtherest turn lanes to the left.

Correct. But that puts you in the "outside" turn lane, not the inside turn lane. You're wording it as "you have to be in the inside lane" but it's actually the outside lane. The only reason I'm mentioning this is because this terminology is used in the CDL manual and will likely show up on tests. Here's a quote from the CDL manual:

Making Left Turns:

If there are two turning lanes, always take the right-hand turn lane, as shown in Figure 2-14. Do not start in the inside lane because you may have to swing right to make the turn. Drivers on your left can be more readily seen.

So if you see wording like:

"Should you be in the inside or outside turning lane when there is more than one left hand turn lane?"

The answer would be "outside turning lane".

this means one thing to me : u do a mistake ,then you are screwed no matter what how much experience,sacrifices, headaches u wet through while working for those trucking companies.Sincerely this push me to think of looking for another career.

Karim, from what you've told us you will certainly find another truck driving job. But you're right in the sense that there is very little margin for error in this industry. But when you think about it, how else would you want it? Would you want drivers to keep their job if they're out there running over parked cars, slamming into telephone polls, and running over families in minivans? A tiny mistake like scratching a fender is a very big deal. Hitting anything is a very big deal when you're driving an 80,000 pound building on wheels surrounded by minivans full of children.

So with that being said, I wouldn't blame you at all if you feel like trucking isn't a secure enough career for you to be comfortable with. As long as your safety record is clean you can land a million jobs. But you're right - there is very little margin for error and your career can be over in a flash with a DUI , felony, or serious accident.

If you want to continue driving, you can Apply For Truck Driving Jobs with just one application right here on TruckingTruth. In just a few minutes your application will go out to as many companies as you'd like to apply to in our system.

But ultimately you're going to have to decide if this is the career for you. But I wouldn't necessarily make that decision based upon how you feel at this moment. I would think about how you felt in the time leading up to the accident. Were you enjoying the job? Did it seem like a career that suits you pretty well? Don't quit just because times get tough, but certainly take the time to decide if trucking is right for you.

That small margin for error is the reason one of my next purchases for the truck will be a dash cam. In the short time I have been driving it is unbelievable some of the situations you are put in, by both 4-wheelers and other truck drivers.

That small margin for error is the reason one of my next purchases for the truck will be a dash cam. In the short time I have been driving it is unbelievable some of the situations you are put in, by both 4-wheelers and other truck drivers.

I was just going to mention that. A dash cam can be an invaluable witness if and when something goes wrong and it ends up your word against theirs.

Does not matter how many turn lanes there are. That particular accident has happened to so many drivers it's not funny. Hence the main reason why you are suppose to watch your mirror while turn at all times. But that's neither here or there now.

Here is the problem. You were fired. And by law Werner has to list something down as to why they fired you. What can happen if your really luck is to call Werner ' HR department and see if they will change the reason why to "Other" and allow you to explain what happened. The termination will still be listed on your DAC report but not the reason why you were fired. But you will have to explain something to the company that is hiring you about why you were fired. No getting the "Termination" title off your DAC report as it is your official work history. That is about the only thing that I can see ya doing.

So you are working with two things here. Your DAC which is your work history and your work record while at Werner. Even if you get Werner to change their record to "Other" for the reason of termination you will still have to contend with your DAC record saying you were terminated for "Safety Reasons" due to the accident.

Now here is another 5 hang you will need to think about. I am not saying your lying so don't take it like that. But companies do not fired someone over a simple fender binder. There are two reasons why this happens.

1) Before this accident you had a few questionable things happen and you made a history for yourself of questionable behavior. Or.....

2) while the accident might have seemed minor in the grand scheme of things MOST companies put a cap on how much money the accident cost them to fix. Most time that cap is set at around $8000 to $10000 dollars and with today's car that does not take much before hitting that cap which results in the insurance company stepping in and telling the company to let you go.

In either case is going to go in your termination file at Werner and on your DAC report.

Now on to getting another job....There is a paper trail to follow for this accident and another companies WILL have access to it even without calling Werner due to public record(DAC report). So if the accident was as minor as you say it was, and you better be sure it was, then most companies can over look one minor accident. But only if your truthfully in what your telling them. If your story does not match up to what is on record then companies will not touch you.

this cdl job is too much headache, ill just look for another career.i ve never wish things goes that way on me , anyway thats my fate thanks for your answer

I read this post when you posted it but I unfortunately didn't have the time to reply.

I'm going to be honest with you. Your problem isn't your small accident. That's a preventable accident that was your fault. Your world hasn't ended because of it. You'll easily find another trucking job.

My concern with you is that comment above.

You sound like a person who just gives up after the first punch. You got into a minor accident and got fired and now you're stating that your CDL is too much of a headache and you'll just look for another career somewhere else.

Where is your confidence? Where is your determination to succeed? Where is your "I'm going to comeback and prove that I'm better than that!" attitude?

Your first year, especially the first few months, will absolutely kick your ass. You need to be able to have the strive and determination to learn from your experiences and come out a better, more improved person. You're going through those first few months right now. You just got your ass kicked (fired) and now is the perfect time to learn from your past experiences and come out a better, more improved person. This is the time!

My advice; accept what happened and move on. This is on your record but you will have another chance. Apply to companies and see what you get. But before you do, you need to work on your confidence and harden your skin. This isn't your first bump in the road.