Is There A Thing Called "Second Chance?" NEED HELP

Here is what I've seen from the inside. Dude shows up to orientation. Background check isn't complete, employment verification isn't done. During orientation new company calls old company. Old company says, he left on whatever date, oh and he had a few accidents. New company pulls you aside out of orientation, asks why you didn't list your accidents at old company. Any answer you give at this point is the wrong answer. On the plus side, you usually get a free bus ride home.

 

A year and a half out of the drivers seat that may not even be an option with some companies, check with your school. I know the one I went to gives free refreshers for life. But without still knowing what the charges were specifically and what the dates of conviction were its still real hard to give accurate advise.

 

Yes. Be honest and start over with a training company.

 

What you could do is stay out of the seat till the first ones 3 years old and go on with life.

 

It was asked before and I didn't see it, what were the accidents/incidents?

What do you mean by that?

If you are talking about the previous jobs, they can't give you a bad reference, they can only say you worked there.

Yes you can if you have to feed your family. Do not think a trucking job is going to save you.

What was that outcome?

They said "you are not a good driver so go find somewhere else" or did they say "we can't use you"?

Sorry but I've been there and can tell you that there are a lot of jobs you can make money at.

Yes there is, first off what were the accidents and how could they be prevented - that you have to ask yourself and be more proactive to prevent it from happening again.

YES you should go back to school, I don't see the re-cert thing as important, but proper schooling with a mentor would be.

AND forget the idea of moving, that record follows you no matter what.

 

Honestly, I had 2 minor incidents my first and had no problem getting on with a good company...
-I cracked a bracket on the cab faring while turning too tight while backing. ($150 in damage)
-I scratched the front bumper on a low lying pile of wood, again turning while backing ($50 in damage)

I was upfront about it and the company recruiter I spoke with just kinda laughed and thanked me for my honesty. Of course neither of my incidents were DOT reportable and that makes a difference. The fact is starting out you are probably gonna have a couple minor screw-ups. Some people will be honest about this while other people who "never curbed a tire" won't. Just remeber honesty will always be severely punished in this wonderful PC world we live in run by soulless derelicts who have never worked an honest day in their lives. These incidents aren't the end of the world. Only the megas "care" because they just want their government check for churning and burning new drivers.

Like you said, you have 9 months of exp so the megas won't be very interested in you... They want either brand new drivers so they get their check and can screw them over with their "paid" traing program and fleece-purchase scams or experienced drivers who are willing to break the law for crap pay... preferably someone with a DUI, a couple accidents, some speeding tickets, maybe a felony here or there, 3rd divorce... You know the type of guy who will run 100 hours a week on three sets of logs, doesn't mind going to prison, and that the company can disavow any knowledge of.

Knowing what I know about the industry and my own experience I will make the following assumptions:
-The minor accident you had was DOT reportable (so its on your DAC, CSA scorecard and your MVR)
-You limited your job search to mega carriers.
-Playing poker with the guy with 5 million safe miles is a bad idea... he's probably holding 5 aces to boot.
-You were probably fired for the DOT reportable accident to keep the company's insurance premiums low.
-I will assume the minor accident was minor given no mention of large fines, lawsuits, jail/prison.

So... Here is what I would do...
-See what legal recourse you have in terms of getting your accident fixed.
-Explain your situation up front to whoever you call for a job as this saves you time, them time, and you don't burn a bridge.
-See if any local warehouses need a spotter or driver.
-Try some regional OTR outfits.

If all else fails (it shouldn't, plenty of smaller outfits should hire you) and this is something you are dead set on doing you can always lease to a decent company (not a mega carrier, nothing decent about those) and pay the insurance yourself as an independent contractor. Not saying this option is great but its on the table now. It would be very difficult to get freight on your own with less than a year of exp and a DOT reportable... Just in case you were thinking O/O.

Medical Recertification is sadly a must in your situation and you might have to take a Refresher Course (less than one year of experience in the past three years and no exp in the past 6 months pretty much means you'll be taking a refresher)... but you should be able to skip the bottom feeders. Since your DOT reportable accident is on the federal CSA database it is public domain... changing your state won't matter.

 

You know a few drivers were discussing this issue this morning and we all agreed there is no such thing as a minor accident - an accident is an accident. There is only one differentiating factor, if you killed someone so a fatality is different because of the lose of life.

 

That may help but what I'd like to know is how you go about getting the next job. If you just send in an application then call them I believe you don't stand a chance. Remember when all they do is read the applications yours would not stand out at all and would most likely be the first in the trash can. What I would do before I spent another dime is fill out the application answering all the question truthfully and go see them. First impressions are gold if you do it right. Look good and explain all the circumstances. Don't give any company the chance to compare your application to others. And that's exactly what they would do if you just sent it in. You may be told that all application have to be mailed or jobs must be applied for on-line but there's are ways to get in. Watch and try to talk with a driver. Explain what's going on and you just want to talk with someone in charge. 9 times out of 10 that person will be a former driver and might have a good idea what you're going through. Especially if you got these mess from a mega-carrier. You never know and how would you feel if you went to school paid all that money and got hired and that company told you that you should have just come and explained this?

 

I don't know about moving and re-certifying in another state...CDL's are tracked nationally. Back in the day, a driver could carry 10 licenses, and if he got pulled over, just give the cop whichever one was most convenient for the driver. Not anymore. It's not just about having the traditional points on your license that every driver is familiar with regardless of CDL or non-CDL. You have CSA following you everywhere electronically. If you get a new license, I think the new license number would just be applied to your existing CSA record. Having said that, some areas of the country have a need for CDL drivers, and are willing to forgive a spotty record in exchange for a willingness to work physically between drives. The oilfield in TX, ND, and PA are an example. You didn't say where you lived, but something along the lines of a driving/labor combo might give you an opportunity. However, a new opportunity will only go so far if you don't get your driving habits in order. Driver training is a huge issue today. If you have an experienced friend nearby who can help you, have him teach you how to watch the driving conditions in a way you're not used to. With a truck you have to plan every maneuver, including decisions that most drivers wouldn't even consider to be a maneuver, and that means reading driving conditions to eliminate the need for emergency maneuvers. You would be surprised how much control you have over that; with the exception of afternoon rush hour, I can usually pass through Chicago stress free on cruise control (except of course for interchanges and such.)