Rookie Solo Driver Terminated, With Preventable Accident.

I was on i 80 E (Wyoming) and the highway was closed to high profile vehicles 40,000 and under. My total GVW was 76,000. Im from Florida and never driven in weather conditions like this it was my first time ever seeing snow. I didnt see any black ice even though ive never seen it before, or would know how to identify it. the roads looked dry but there was snow blowing off the sides onto the highway. The crosswinds were 60 mph. there were other trucks on the road and i know i should never follow other trucks, but to me it was a sign that the road was not totally shut down. i was going 37 mph and started to slide, slide all the way left across the 3 lane highway until i ended up back on the right off the side of the road in a jacknife. I freaked out and slammed on the brakes. my mind was not thinking to do anything else at the time. There were no injuries, no other cars involved, or any state damage.. Just a shook up Florida girl, and a damaged company truck..I ended up getting a warning from the DOT officer. About a month prior to that i had wrote a message saying i didnt want to travel to Wyoming, bc i didnt feel safe. They didnt even respond to it. thy fired me and sent me home on the bus. Trucking changed my life, i had finally found my purpose, a career that made me feel important and proud. Now nobody will touch me. I probably reached out to every company in America. thy all say the same thing "sorry and good luck" Ive beat myself up over and over again. i dont want to throw in the towel because, something in me is saying not to and that ive come to far to give up... the company has reported it as a preventable jacknife termination. Any hope at all? Or advise on moving forward. i can handle the truth.... oh yea, and the first thing my DM called and said afterwards was " did you leave the paperwork in the trailer?"

Sorry to do this Sneena, but there's a lot in your story that needs an analysis:

Your descriptor says "Rookie solo driver" bringing your first post. I imagine you're new at this, and you lived in Florida most of your life (I may be wrong but that's what I take from your story.

the highway was closed to high profile vehicles 40,000 and under. My total GVW was 76,000.

A semi trailer is 13'6" tall - the sail on a sailboat in crosswinds. That's when you should have headed to the next truck stop and avoided the danger.

Im from Florida and never driven in weather conditions like this it was my first time ever seeing snow.

A hint that with your short experience you were in the wedding place at the wrong time. See the truck stop comment above.

I didnt see any black ice even though ive never seen it before, or would know how to identify it.

You knew what it was, and with cross winds and what you learned in Truck School you should have gotten cautious. See the Truck Stop comment above.

the roads looked dry

That what black ice looks like!

The crosswinds were 60 mph. there were other trucks on the road and i know i should never follow other trucks, but to me it was a sign that the road was not totally shut down.

You saw other trucks on the road. Question: Who was driving your truck?? Those other drivers or a rookie?

i was going 37 mph and started to slide, slide all the way left across the 3 lane highway until i ended up back on the right off the side of the road in a jacknife. I freaked out and slammed on the brakes. my mind was not thinking to do anything else at the time.

#1. 37 in snow and wind and freezing weather is 32 mph too fast.

#2 in any skid, using brakes is poison.

I ended up getting a warning from the DOT officer. You don't work for the DOT. That not a condom of employment.

About a month prior to that i had wrote a message saying i didnt want to travel to Wyoming, bc i didnt feel safe. They didnt even respond to it.

Dispatchers are busy and can't keep notes about preferences on all the 20-60 drivers they run. You could always remind them after you get a dispatch and discuss it with them, but it's not a good idea to be picky.

they fired me and sent me home on the bus. Trucking changed my life, i had finally found my purpose, a career that made me feel important and proud.

I'm glad you found a good purpose in life, but Truck Schools often do not include lessons on driver responsibility and respect for their truck and load.

the company has reported it as a preventable jacknife

Yes, preventable means you could have done something that would have avoided the accident. See the Truck Stop comment above.

i dont want to throw in the towel because, something in me is saying not to and that ive come to far to give up. Any hope at all? Or advise on moving forward. i can handle the truth....

It's tough, and up to you. Apply almost everywhere. My advice is don't go to a small company with 10-15 trucks, they don't have the resources to back you up with more training.

In the future, since you are the expert on scene in any situation, let your dispatcher know you don't feel safe driving in your current conditions. No company wants to hurt their drivers, damage their equipment or property, or cause any other priority damage or worst, any injury.

"wedding"! "condom"! Oops, I forgot to proof read this thing

I was on i 80 E (Wyoming) and the highway was closed to high profile vehicles 40,000 and under. My total GVW was 76,000. Im from Florida and never driven in weather conditions like this it was my first time ever seeing snow. I didnt see any black ice even though ive never seen it before, or would know how to identify it. the roads looked dry but there was snow blowing off the sides onto the highway. The crosswinds were 60 mph. there were other trucks on the road and i know i should never follow other trucks, but to me it was a sign that the road was not totally shut down. i was going 37 mph and started to slide, slide all the way left across the 3 lane highway until i ended up back on the right off the side of the road in a jacknife. I freaked out and slammed on the brakes. my mind was not thinking to do anything else at the time. There were no injuries, no other cars involved, or any state damage.. Just a shook up Florida girl, and a damaged company truck..I ended up getting a warning from the DOT officer. About a month prior to that i had wrote a message saying i didnt want to travel to Wyoming, bc i didnt feel safe. They didnt even respond to it. thy fired me and sent me home on the bus. Trucking changed my life, i had finally found my purpose, a career that made me feel important and proud. Now nobody will touch me. I probably reached out to every company in America. thy all say the same thing "sorry and good luck" Ive beat myself up over and over again. i dont want to throw in the towel because, something in me is saying not to and that ive come to far to give up... the company has reported it as a preventable jacknife termination. Any hope at all? Or advise on moving forward. i can handle the truth.... oh yea, and the first thing my DM called and said afterwards was " did you leave the paperwork in the trailer?"

Hi Sheena.

You're in a tough situation but it's not hopeless. If I were you and were serious about continuing your career as a driver, I would look for some kind of local delivery(day cab) work. Often, these jobs are much easier for someone with a blemish or two on their record to obtain because the turnover rate is very high. There is a reason for this. The hours can be brutal and they can be physically demanding.(loading/unloading, etc...) If you can deal with this, you may be able to continue driving and, provided you keep your record clean going forward, put yourself in a position to get back to doing what you were prior to this accident.

Sometimes life presents us with situations where the only two options are to either give up or roll up the sleeves, grit the teeth, and grind through it.

Best of luck to you.

I second everything said previously. With the exception of "32 mph too fast." Your description makes it clear that I would have parked it. 37 is 37mph too fast.

I was born and raised in Montana, wind and ice are no joke and can ruin your life faster than you can blink.

Moving forward, all you can do is apply everywhere. Be prepared for your state of residence to add an additional hurdle to an already difficult situation. There are another 2500 experienced drivers now competing for an available seat. Be prepared to hear No.