Tell them straight out or keep quiet?

You can keep quiet but your former employer sure won't.

 

You hit a guys fender; one old trick, he probably damaged the fender himself then used you as a scapegoat.
Be honest about it because neither incident seems too serious.
What type trucking job are you looking for?

 

Dont say anything

 

Next job you get, please remember to get out and look. Never trust anybody else. Get out and look.
Good luck.

 

I once spent two hours standing in the street in front of the Sayre NY VA Clinic under construction with a load of roofing on my Covered wagon spread axle. Telling the foreman with increasing amounts of profanity that she wont fit. (Curbing is in the way, they just built it that week and finished hours before I got there. (Good timing Boss Darwin, should have waited until I delivered the roof)

Boss would not accept unloading that in the street which was a three lane divided in those days. Local police chief got involved as well. (Ugh...) If I saw him again, it will take much more than coffee to smooth that out. HA... anyway.

I did the turn and the forward axle destroyed the curb and all the mold workings etc with it.

If you think there was yelling before... HA...

It took I think 4 employers over a few years before they quit asking me about that 1000 dollars in curb damage. I visited Sayre earlier tonight on Google Earth and found the new curb (About 20 years old by now) much more accomodating of tractor trailers. Like you ever are going to drive one in there again.

Its not the BIG accidents, death, loss of limbs or horrible problems closing a billion dollar auto factory .. nah never the big stuff. Its usually the tinest smallest of paper cuts and damage values that rile employers. And you wonder why you feel like a outcast made to sit and explain for the thousanth time the story of woe over a 300 dollar fender or whatever small loss it was.

=) Cheer up. That too shall pass. And yes I ruined another company tractor's fender one day, they fired me the next day once they decided that was enough of that. Never mind the bigger situation that led to the fender being destroyed on that truck by me.

 

Where is your location?
The reason I said to admit it is because the company that fired you probably has it on their DAC report.
You're going to be asked why you were fired and you have to answer. The new company may already know when they ask you and are checking to find out if your answer is the same.
If you put a scratch on a trailer and no one knows but you, then don't say anything about that.
If you called your company and reported it, they'll have it on your DAC report.

 

You haven't given us your location. We need to know that so we know the hiring area you live in for various companies.