2 incidents, 1 more I'm fired...leave now??

Okay, lower your weapons, everyone, we simply can't admonish someone for telling the truth, I hope. We've ALL had "incidents", some doozies the boss never found out about, but we didn't have cameras on every corner either. You actually COULD get away with it. Today, with cameras everywhere, you're better off just telling the truth, as some ding a ling has it on their phone. The incidents you describe are not major, but a company looks at it as a pattern, and just from the amount of drivers some places go through, it's easy to see, several incidents lead up to a biggie. You aren't checking your mirrors enough, the lifeblood of a driver. Remember, it's not the boss, it's the insurance that calls the shots, and they don't look at the incident proper, just that it's an incident. Good luck, and watch those mirrors!!!

 

Let me venture a guess here. This your first driving job? You are driving an auto shift/automatic? If it wasn’t for the auto, you would have never ever considered driving a truck? Don’t take it personal, you are not the only one out there.

 

This is the answer I came in to say.

if there is obvious damage, huge obvious dents or broken glass , someone os gonna notice anyway, that’s one thing , but bumping one container against another container and both are already dented and dinged and scratched , and your new scratch doesn’t really stand out or make the doors not open ,
I wouldn’t report it .

 

Noobs get in a hurry, especially when backing. That’s not cool, man. Looks nerdy too. When I come onto a customer’s property, I usually lumber along at 5-10 mph (whatever their speed limit is). When I have to back up, I come to a complete stop, put this Pete 389 in reverse, put my window down, let out the clutch and back up at idle and consistent pace.

I even hang my arm out the window holding a smoke, and I don’t smoke! But, it’s cool looking and I’m the envy of all the humans there.

The men are like “Wow, did you see the way he locked into the zone and stuck that trailer perfectly into place?”.

And the wormins are like (in a wanting voice) “Well, look at that snappy dressed Adonis with his black (red satin laced) cape accenting his long flowing hair. Of course he knows what he’s doing, in probably more ways than one!”.

Of course, all of that is usually followed by chaotic screams of “SON OF A B, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!! IT AIN’T ADONIS! IT’S FRANK!” when I step out of the truck to get my paperwork signed. Go figure...

Get your head right OP and maybe someday you can be the Adonis of your neighborhood. Then, your only worry will be where the Kentuckians are hiding.

 

Have we though? Popped a tire off on a bollard that made a hole impossibly tight and i told the guy ahead of time it wasnt a good idea. Bent out a low wide bumper backing in a jobsite i told the foreman was going to mess up the truck, "we'll pay if it happens, the crane is waiting on you and theyre more expensive"

So no, i dont buy "weve all been there" hitting stuff 2x in a single week

 

Right; quit ratting yourself out.

 

Yes (in my opinion) because the company will be gunning for you now, like a buzzard circling a potential meal.

 

FYI, I had 2 minor preventables in my 1st month being solo. Both truck parking lot incidents with minor damage to other truck. Ouch. However, been solo almost 2 years now with no further incidents. Don't make it a self fulfilling prophecy. You don't have to have a 3rd incident because you already had 2. Just be darn careful!

 

When asked how he avoided shoulder injuries one of my older company guys mentioned how had it is to close container doors when another pops up saying 'Simple, drag it out to an other empty and use that container to close the door".....he was serious too.

 

Dont tell on yourself