What was your worst rookie mistake?

2 weeks on the job and I accidently backed over the owners daughters 1967 VOLKSWAGON Beetle and he gave me a bonus for doing it

 

Solo for 2 weeks, took the wrong exit on I-95 South in Washington DC at the 95-295-495 mixing bowl under construction and ending up having to navigate 295-395 through downtown in the dark around 9pm in heavy traffic. Nowhere to stop and verify routes, so just continue, follow the signs and try to decipher the 'no truck' and 'overheight vehicle detector' signage...

 

That really sucks... I feel your frustration on that one downtown DC is a very confusing place even for a seasoned driver.

 

Turning around in a bank and took out an ATM. Lucky for me they were planning on taking the bank down anyways. HEY, I turned onto a NO TRUCKS street, only place I thought was big enough to give the trailer some room.

 

First OTR job with JB Hunt, 1992, coudn't find receiver's location. Some small warehouse in N. Carolina. The place was way out in the sticks, off some unmarked backroad. I called them from a pay phone near their location, and requested someone come meet me, to show me how to get in there. They said they couldn't do that, everyone was busy. I called dispatch, and they said to just try and find it. Keep in mind this was 1992, no cell phones, google map, etc.

So I basically just tried to guess which road to go in. Well naturally it wasn't correct, and I got stuck trying to back out. While I was stuck, people from the receiver even drove by to look at the truck. I asked them why they just didn't meet me like I requested. They just laughed at me.

So I finally got pulled out, and delivered the load.

Lesson learned: If it is some remote location, don't go anywhere you can't get out of. I should of held my ground and told them if you want your freight, come meet me. This place was so far off the beaten path, if you didn't know how to get in there, you wouldn't find it. Unmarked gravel roads, way back in the woods.

 

missed my receiver on queens service road took me three hours to get back .....and then going through memphis went under that 13 "0" bridge noticed they changed the height sign to 13 "7" now

 

Missed turn in for receiver,42 miles till I found a boat launch area to turn around in.Was still an hour early though.

 

Also back before cell phones...Took wrong exit off the GW and ended up in the middle of Downtown Manhattan. Was the middle of the nite on Halloween. Even tho I wasnt allowed to, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to get out. Took 4 hours to get out. It truely is a sea of cabs downtown. Times Square was pretty kool tho...lol.