Turned over a truck, need advice on getting a trucking job

If you deem the truck unsafe to drive then you refuse to drive it. Its your license/career not theirs.

 

If i saw the condition of the truck and it was as poor as youve stated, i would of not driven it.

 

Also was the poor condition of the truck even part of the accident? Or driving to fast in poor weather conditions?

 

He stated he was going 50 mph in a 60 mph zone . Still , that could have been too fast for the conditions depending on how hard it was raining , etc.
I also question just how much of a factor the condition of the vehicle was . He said a vehicle cut in front of him but unless it slowed suddenly when it cut in front of him he may have panicked and locked up the brakes causing him to lose control .

 

It was also in a turn

 

Also you stated you drove it from April 27th and picked up a 50,000 lb load of coils on May 9th or there about. And the tires were not in good shape, this maybe why the previous driver abandoned it to begin with. Too bad you couldn't get info about who the person was and why he left; it could prove a chain of neglect by the company to have the truck maintenance and safety concerns not addressed and taken care, not including the fact you complained about the safety issues. And if all the tires were bad on the tractor money is most likely what they did not want to spend and you get to suffer because of it. Some of these companies out here think drivers are a dime a dozen and don't care. I have read of several companies being shut down because of truck safety violations, there were 2 here in AL.

It does sound like the burden of proof will be with you just because of how you explained it and driving in rain most likely too fast on a curve.

I hope you find something else soon, can you get food stamps for the kids at least.

 

So, you've got an accident on your PSP, and a too fast for conditions citation. Sounds like your biggest issue is a lack of experience. I would suggest starting with the larger carriers that have schools and train students. Contact multiple companies, a lot are going to turn you down due to an accident with not much driving experience, eventually you'll stick somewhere. You probably wont like it much, but it will be a means to an end. Learn as much as you can. In the future if you see your trainer smoking weed, don't get in the truck with him. You're putting yourself at risk, that's simply not worth it. I understand that you reported it, however your company can't actually do anything other than call and ask him about it. Well they could route him in, but they can't really send him off for a test based solely off of your word. They need to gather more evidence to meet the criteria for reasonable suspicion. In fact I wouldn't even bring up the story with anyone I'm applying to, it makes you sound like you want to blame everyone else for your current situation. Own what you can, admit that you want/need more training to become a successful professional driver. That's all the advice I have, I'm not a trucker so feel free to dismiss anything I say. Best of luck.

 

Humm, no advice or comments from a super trucker? Well that leaves me out I guess. But then again I'm not a X50 year trucker. I'm a current and in good standing over 35 year, never flipped, rolled, lost in any way any truck truck driver.

I gotta say you got the story down pretty good ( probably) from telling it enough times. It's good that no-where in the story did you ever say anything about you, yourself having any part in any of this. Except tat you were there of course.

Glad no-one was hurt. Good luck with your job search.

On a side note: I'd practice saying "Welcome to Wal Mart" or " you want fries with that?" as much as you've practiced this story.