I'm a solo rookie driver of seven months. I recently went to a new company and had my first trailer accident. Two to be exact. First accident I didn't swing wide enough and hit some 4x4 posts with my trailer that were at the entrance of a yard. Didn't even see them, they were old and weathered and not painted yellow... No excuse, I know. Second one I went to NJ for the first time and didn't know to move my tandems forward because of the tight turns. Hit the edge of a concrete burm with the front set of tandems. Since both were within my first 30 days, I was of course, let go. I'm going to give myself a breather before I start putting applications out there again but honestly I expect my career is toast. Neither accident was ticketed or involved LE, the first was not put on my dac report or csa. I'm not sure what they'll do about the second. But, when fill out my app and I say I was fired due to an accident, it's probably going to be done and over right there and then. On the part of the app where it asks about accidents, do I list both or just the one I was fired for? And do you have any suggestions or advice? Thanks
you will be DAC'd for both accidents. on the applications just say private property accidents. these will not be on your DMV file, only your company file.
Your career is not toast. There are still companies out there that will give you a chance. It's not our mistakes that define us, it's how we respond to our mistakes and what we learn from them that define us. Where are you located?
Do not wait, put applications as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more of a chance it will follow you.
There are many smaller companies that don't use DAC. But you need to start watching your mirrors. That could have been a person instead of a post. When you get another job, and you will, pay attention to everything.
Those are not accidents, those are incidents. What happened when you hit the curb? Getting fired for that is a bit ridiculous. I curb tires on my trailer all the time, and they are slid as far forward as possible. It is just a fact, and that stuff happens. If you were my driver, and you were a good cookie, I might dock your pay a nickel. Stuff happens, unless you tore the tandems off, then I would fire your you know what.
DAC, or whatever it is called today is incredibly expensive. Most carriers ignore it for that very reason. The insurance companies handle that stuff for 95% of the carriers out there. DAC is a tool the big outfits use to scare all of you new guys into submission. Like the democrat plantation.
