Diary of a New Tanker Driver - Comcar CTL

That's right!
Try some other type of freight for 12 months, then go back to tanks.
Abilene Motor Express
Magnum Ltd.
Tyson Foods

Apply with all 3 and keep us posted. You'll be back on the road in a few days. Abilene would be my first choice.

 

there is a big difference between a couple drops hitting the ground when you disconnect the hose and gallons of chemical spilling all over from the dome not being sealed correctly. i really doubt his trainers had gallons of material spill all over the ground from a damaged dome seal. even if the seal was intact and damaged by the loader, he still should of called the spill in.... 2 people saw it, it was a hazardous material, at that point you HAVE to call it in. that's common sense, not a rookie mistake.

he took responsibility for it in the wrong place. obviously comcar and every other trucking company isn't going to care what you post on truckersreport, only that you didn't bother to tell them in the real world. what would the EPA think about this spill? if it spilled out at the customer, i'm sure it spilled all over the road some where as well. how would you feel if you were driving down the road and got splashed in the face with sodium hydroxide?

 

^this guy kinda took the words right out of my mouth.

 

You will learn real fast how corrupt and shady most desk jockeys are in this industry. The reality is that most trucking that is done, is not done 100% by the book. Everyone is out here to make money, and a lot of times following the book word for word will cost you time, and our time is our money. You have to watch out for yourself because no one else will. Drivers, dispatchers, managers, and desk jockeys will all stab each other in the back just to get their own.

You made some mistakes. You know this, and we know this. Let me tell you something though, those mistakes have been made millions of times before you and will be made millions of times after you, and some by people who have been doing this for decades. Unfortunately you were the one who got caught with your pants down. Let me also say that stuff like this really means very little to future employers. Your MVR and your DAC report are the major influences. Even if you try and get another job with a company doing the exact same type of tanker work, just explain to them what happened and don't make it too personal.

What you did, being terminated .... it's really not a big deal. I mean yeah, you definitely want to try and be more careful and attentive whenever you can. All of us need to be more careful and attentive. But it is not the end of the world. I personally know a couple drivers who have landed jobs after being terminated for a major accident (one being a rollover, the other fell asleep and ran into a ditch). So just don't be too hard on yourself, because the kool-aid drinkers will do that for you!!

 

Splash-out from a leaky dome is not like a leaking/non-capped hose.
HE WAS NOT PROPERLY TRAINED, is how I see it, guys. Yeah, his product has more surge than my asphalt, I get that.
If his trainer(s) allowed spillout/slosh and wrote it off as "oops" what's he supposed to do, measure it?
Y'all are being too hard on this green-horn, and I'm sure he doesn't mind that dub-name... he still works the greens when he's not trying to be one of us.

Y'all DO have good points, providing that TRAINING WAS NOT SUBSTANDARD. I really feel bad for this guy, and I hope he gives HIMSELF another chance; seems a few people here don't think he deserves it. We were not all born pulling hoses, with our heads in our domes, and teetering on catwalks.

He already said, for the most part, that if he had it all to do over again, he would have reported it. Quit being so hard on the newbies to our field that really GIVE A CRAP~!

Gentlemen, I'm sorry. I never post negatives to anyone here; haven't posted much in the years i've been a member. I'm just saying there are SO MANY non-deserving/non-caring/non-qualified people trying to get into OUR industry, and perhaps even under-cut us. I'm company more/less, so no-matter here, but still. This guy really gave it a go.

Read his earlier posts when he didn't even think his hands could handle the hoses. He's a newbie I'd take OTR with me (if I still ran such) ANYDAY.

HE TRIES. Really hard. More than we can say for these "one post wonders" around here. Kept us updated on his journey, even if it was a momentary lapse of reason. I'd run behind him or beside him ANY day, because DANG, he tries.

Whadya think, @TROOPER to TRUCKER ??

NO dis to the 2 previous posts; I don't normally say as much but y'all are being so hard on a man that is only worth the salt in the shaker he was trained in.

Hang in, @GolfPro ...

my apologies to any i've offended. It's not me to do so.
G'night (or G'day for me, guys!) .... BE SAFE.

 

@Woodys great post. we were typing at the same time, or I would've quoted you. Good info, man.

 

The shipper closes the dome lid and puts the seal on. The driver only checks to ensure the seal is intact. There's no way the driver can see or check the gasket.

 

^^^^ I learn something new everyday; having loaded and unloaded all by myself these past six years, I wouldn't have known that. Thanks, @Chinatown .. i'm not too old to learn, either.

 

Just about 95% do and yes that's basically all you can do. But, if you take all the steps on your part with no visual problems or leaks. Why lie just tell them. We load toluene in Ohio. I hate doing it.

I don't want to get in a pissing match I'm just explaining how I feel about it. If he wasn't properly trained as stated above his trainer never reported anything that's not right. He still should have some kind of gut instinct that he knows right from wrong. In orientation I'm sure they said report everything or anything. And something like that why wouldn't you? Ah well it's done and over with.

 

As RogerThat72 posted, that's true about 95% of the time. I know some type of tank work the driver loads his own trailer, such a hot asphalt and gasoline and some other stuff, so the driver would be responsible. With hazmat chemicals the shipper loads and then seals the dome lid. In my opinion GolfPro took the fall so the company can keep good relations with the shipper.