Get fired; can't get hired?

Interesting thread, I'm glad it was opened up again.

When a driver is fired most of the time it falls into one of 4 categories why!

1. Fired by safety for popping a positive on a DOT drug test!
2. Fired by safety for HOS violations, not doing due diligence to ensure your legals are up to date or operating with unsafe equipment!
3. Fired by safety for excessive accidents/incidents!
4. Fired by operations for service failures or refusals to operate.

There is a 5th category but few drivers get fired for vehicle abuse like they used to be.

Back a few years ago one of the worse sins a driver could do was Truck/Load abandonment. This is changing today and is not as much an automatic out of the industry for life sin as it once was.

With this new DOT, MRO positive database coming into being that first one will become a tough nut to crack. You are DISQUALIFIED FOR LIFE! Until you go through the SAP/return to duty process. Then once you are allowed to return your options are severely limited. many carriers will NOT hire such a person.

Truck drivers are fired every day in the US. Most are working again within 30 days. The thing is, however, keep getting fired and your rehire options shrink.

Just a comment about that number 4 I mentioned. Specifically that refusal to operate. I can't say this strongly enough. If operating will expose you to problems with 2 and 3 REFUSE to operate. NEVER allow a carrier to bully you into operating. Keep your carrier's safety dept on speed dial. Make sure you NEVER discuss these issues with operations over the phone. MAKE them use the QC.

 

I was fired 3 times. Twice by JB Hunt & once by USA Truck. Now I'm being denied by almost every company, because I was terminated 3 times or I have no recent driving experience within 1 to 2 years. I been off the road for 3 years after JB Hunt. The companies that have refresher programs won't hire me due to terminations & the companies that will hire me need 3 to 6 months recent experience. How the hell am I suppose to get recent experience if nobody will hire me over this foolishness lbs.

 

Facebook and Craigslist have trucker pages that hire drivers with past problems.
Also sign up with "Driver Pulse TenStreet" and it's free.
Even some drivers that need another chance aren't hired because of their bad attitude as if the companies should feel honored to hire them.

 

P.M.S. Express LMFAO

 

I don't know about the attitude & feeling honored to hire me part lol, but that is a bit silly in my opinion when they hire felons & people with way worse driving records. Just saying being terminated by other companies shouldn't matter unless it's over safety reasons.

 

That comment wasn't directed at you personally; sorry it came off that way. That was for others that might read this thread.

 

That's like being indifferent to whether your future spouse has been married/divorced before. The job belongs to the company. Their opinion is the one that counts. It's perfectly reasonable for an employer to avoid applicants who were fired for lots of reasons besides safety. Missing appointments, arguing with customers, damaging equipment, hurting the company CSA score, etc are all good reasons beside safety.

 

Yeah you definitely right about that & everyone are entitled to their own opinion. It's many reasons & at the end of the day their rules are their rules. I can't think of those reasons in my situation but I do know I didn't leave on good terms with JB Hunt that last time. I could've ignored the crazy talk, but I didn't. Now I have to find somewhere to drive for 6 months to a year that's all that matters to me. This definitely a tight spot lbs. Hey you live & you learn you know. It's life I can't complain just keep searching.

 

I've made tons of mistakes, paid fir some of them, git away with some, and learned from all of them. In my mind I was 1 step from being homeless or losing my job, regardless of the real circumstances. I had the great benefit to have great teachers & work at great companies.

I am begging drivers, especially young & new drivers to treat backing accidents, bad customer interactions, police encounters, etc like they could get you fired, homeless, etc. Instead working around new & young drivers they treat EVERYTHING like it's no more important than an empty paper cup. "Sure it would be good not to wreck, fail a drug test, have a shoot-out at a customer, but life is random & I have several things in my record."

I cannot understand that attitude. Why not put effort into not having those bad outcomes like it will end everything good rather than see them as random outcomes that careful & careless employees get at the same rate? They don't. New drivers only seem to get serious once they've lost a job or are hanging by a thread due to careless incidents with a company & then claim it's the company rules that are the problem. No, bad driver attitude is the problem. Many drivers go a career with 0-1 ticket, 0-1 accident, and lots of good behavior.

New guys start talking before CDL school about how many incidents & accidents they expect to rack up at their first employer!
W. T. A. F?

 

I respect your opinion sir I really do, but you have other issues going on. You don't know me or my circumstances. I own up to every mistake I made. Even when it seem minor it's still major to me meaning I need to tighten up on the small things like attitude towards companies disrespect for sure I know, but bad driver you lost me there sir. I'm trying to become my own boss so of course I'm taking everything SERIOUS & I see what I did wrong in some way. What about you? You're getting aggressive with me for nothing & we are both saying the SAME EXACT THING.