Parking the truck while on home time

How do they decide if a tow is an accident?

 

Well, if you need a tow, because you went into an obvious disaster., like a muddy field, or jumped a curb, and got stuck, things like that should be.

 

If an accident doesn't require a tow away for one of the vehicles, then it may not need to be reported and the consequences are less. Once an accident happens and at least one vehicle is towed away, or someone goes to the hospital or dies then it is a reportable accident, no question.

I didn't have an accident. I got off route. I found a state parking garage property, ground was covered in deep snow and I used some of their property that I guessed was either paved or hard gravel under the snow to turn around, and sank into the mud. If I had stayed on route, I wouldn't have been stuck. If I had walked the area to verify the ability to hold a truck, I wouldn't have gotten stuck. There are Federal regulations, state/city regulations, company policy and it's not written in the Constitution and the Bible that once a tow truck shows up you lose your job, go to jail, and spend eternity in Hades. An event can break company policy, for example, and not have any legal or regulatory affect. In a situation it's best to think what set of rules are in play. It's also important to follow the rules because then these situation won't come up often, if at all. Most people of a certain age seem to to think no rule applies to me and I can do what I want and the boss or someone just has to pay for whatever I want to do. That's not true at all. Follow the rules and you are largely protected from blame. That's one of the biggest reasons I follow rules. "Don't talk to me, talk to the people making the rules. You aren't asking me to break the rules are you?" Once they know you will break the rules you will be breaking them often and they will have evidence to punish you any time they want. Don't break the rules.

 

An accident is when vehicles hit each other or other property. An incident is usually when the vehicle incolved is the only vehicle damaged and the cost of fixing damage is below some threshold. The big company I worked for had a formula. Above this larger amount of money, and if only company property was damaged, it would be a low-level incident. If the incident involved some customer's property than this lower amount would be the threshold and it was still not serious. Once something happened on a public road and involved anyone then it's at least a medium-level incident.

I think you are confusing vehicle accidents with company punishment. Not everything is an accident. I think of moving vehicle accident and private property incidents.

 

That all makes sense to me. I’m doing my best to avoid any and all of the above. The account I’m on with the parking lots at these customers is stressful. I’m doing 30+ stops a week. Almost half of these locations were previously different stores and have no business in having a large truck in their lot. My driving skills are literally improving daily. I try to follow the rules, but there’s so many. I feel like no matter what, if they decide you did something wrong there’s no recourse. Anyways I appreciate your insight as usual, sir.

 

IMO, the best understanding is to avoid every incident as if so much as flat tire means you will be unemployed and hungry forever. It focuses the mind. It seems like you are with me on that. So I think your mind is right.

One reason I and others recommended NOT taking a dollar type store account is what you are experiencing with unsuitable parking lots and LOTS of easy ways to hit things and cause damage. Dollar Generals stores are probably the worst, but as a rule ANY type of dollar store is trouble. Walk around the truck before backing looking for what are the dangers. When you are backing if you lose sight of any of those dangers you saw in the walk around, stop and go find it. If in doubt, get on out and look. This isn't the job you will have forever, just for a year or two. Learning to make being careful your habit and learning to back well you will be so far ahead of other candidates for a job you are in good shape IF YOU KEEP YOUR record clean by being more careful than anyone else, even when it is raining or dark, etc. You can throw away a clean record in a moment. DON'T DO THAT. 30 seconds of being careful is worth 2 years of a crappier job because you weren't careful.

 

I regularly have to get out and look multiple times. One store I must have got out and looked at least 30 times, probably more. This Dollar general account is trying on the mind and body. I would not recommend this job to hardly any one. However, it’s an exponential rate of learning, in my humble opinion. And yes, I am of the same mind as you I believe. Causing any issues is not a good thing and should be avoided absolutely as much as possible.

 

What a joke. To me that's the cost of doing business.