Hit by drunk driver, lost my job.

"Club" as in, going in for a drink of alcohol? That's not going to look good with anyone if that's the case. That means you were planning on getting back behind the wheel after alcohol was in your system. If I read this wrong my apologies.

 

Withholding any commentary on the advisability of taking the truck out to a club, using it as your personal vehicle for a night on the town, or the intention to drive the truck after spending time in the club, I'll merely concentrate on the aftereffects.

If they reported this on DAC, then it is going to show up as a pretty serious item. You took the vehicle somewhere you were not authorized to be, and the vehicle was damaged while it was there in your control. The company had to take the action of remotely disabling the vehicle due to your actions. Anyone reading between the lines is going to see what happened, and if there is any explanation of the circumstances on the report, it's going to be a knife through your heart as far as trucking is concerned. You may find a company that will give you a second chance, despite this incident, but at best, you are not going to be able to latch on with one of the better thought of companies.

If you can knock on enough doors and somehow get a second chance, then you would be well advised to walk the straight and narrow. Just from what you have written here, I can make the assumption that you possibly intended to drive the truck after drinking, and you can assume that potential employers are going to take the same view of things. You may have had good intentions when you set out, but on the surface, it looks pretty negative. Best of luck finding something, but it's going to take a lot of shoe leather and phone time to get you back behind the wheel.

 

That is good, but there is still an assumption that everyone is going to make and that's what you are going to face in trying to find another trucking job. Once you were at a club, making use of the vehicle, and it was damaged, and the company had to shut it down remotely, and then pay to have the vehicle recovered and eventually repaired, your condition at the time becomes only a small part of the story in regards to how this affects your record. In fact, since the majority of this is based on judgement, it might work slightlyin your favor had you been drinking and had that to fall back on for affecting your decisions. As it is, you are going to have to do a lot of trying to get past this one.

Did they ever find the other vehicle that hit the truck, or did the company insurance have to eat the costs of the repairs?

 

Oh, good!!! It's good they gave you that test too then.

 

I would sure keep copies of everything you have. There's companies that will hire you but as was mentiontioned in another forum, it most likely won't pay much. Just take what you can for now and allow some time to go by while you develop a good record. If companies around here hire some of the guys I know, they would hire you easily. Most are local hauling though.

 

Bottom line, you will not only have to fight the reality of what happened, but will also have to fight the perception and mis perceptions that go along with it. just this little bit on here has shown how people are going to make assumption about what happened. I would figure out some way to show it in the very best light possible when describing it to future employers, because saying the wrong word, regardless of how accurate, presents a skewered view of what went on. You are going to have to be very careful in how you describe it to a new employer, and the first thing to do is get hold of your records and see how it is described on there. Depending on how it is listed, you may be able to describe it in a way that makes it sound to your best advantage.

I'm not advocating lying, but if you can say the absolute minimum about it and get by with that, then I would do so when talking with a prospective employer. You are not starting ith a good set of facts to begin with, and if not explained properly, then assumptions and inferences will be made, just as they have been done here.

 

I will not assume that you were going to use alcohol and no body else should assume that either.....
Did you pull into their parking lot to take your 10 hour break? If so, you are fine...not a problem in the least. Many drivers go into a bar with truck parking , have 2-3 beers, and then go take their 10 hour break. Just remember to take a leak in the morning before you drive.
On the other hand.....If you were off for the weekend and drove your truck to a club and someone hit your truck, you'd loose your job as you said you did. However, it's not an alcohol related offense on your part and I wouldn't go into detail where your truck was parked when it got hit (when you are explaining to a perspective employer). For example, I'm off duty saturday and go to supermarket and a drunk hits my parked bobtail rig.......location doesn't matter....let 'em take your truck back and get another job....just don't tell more than you have to at your next interview.....remember, it won't be on your mvr.....Also, there are many good small companies out there that will with out a doubt take you on as a new hire as long as you have a pulse and will pay you just as much as these big companies and get you home on weekends as long as you live somewhat close to the terminal. Don't worry...Just don't take your rig to a club again (if it was on a weekend
when you are off duty). Remember, there's nothing that says you can't park near or at a club with truck parking on your 10 hour break. You are just new to trucking and scared of what YOU THINK MIGHT HAPPEN to you. You are fine.....