No second chances

Your talking about me! haha

 

I got family in the business. Step father, 17 years and in his 1-3 years went down a road he knew he wasn't suppose to be on, along with another driver. Long story cut short, those two ended up on a narrow bridge only one semi could go through. Each scrapped the bridge barrier with the brakes on and wham. Head on side swipe. He drove for 17 years. Not sure what hes doing now. Repo's probably for sisters towing company. Uncle had a small fender bender in Norfolk his 2nd year out, did little damage to freight, but he paid outta pocket for it. He has some 8 years exp now with a truck almost paid for. Stuff happens. I had a roll over happen 4 months ago. Was speeding the cause? No, I had a pre-loaded sealed trailer where the shipper didn't secure it. 24mph and my truck rolled, in a coast, a low gear. The force came straight from my right drive tires. Never seen it coming until it was to late, even tried to spin wheel left and she was already shiny side going over. Of the harsh winter conditions I was in last year, windy conditions coming down mtns with only 8k in the box and driver on cb yelling you're gonna blow over. Bah! This happen to me! I limbed outta the truck, more pissed about that then blood running down the side of my face telling people ####. I don't need this right now, why me blah blah. In reality, I should've said. Luckily I am alive, No one else was involved and their are no serious injuries. I am lucky to walk away from this.

I now have that, what it feels like experience, I have been there, done that! It happen so fast, all I saw coming was the earth towards my viewing path with a huge force whipping me around out of my control once truck was on its side. You look around after, see smoke, cut ignition. Look for an exit, undo seat belt and hope you can get out alive, before your fuel tanks or something more insane would happen, just because its possible.

To be honest, I am grateful it happen, that it did the way it did. Why? I ran a lot of WV/ 68 in MD etc and I can only imagine what a truck would look like at a higher speed like that. Oh wait, I watch all the youtube wreck's etc and Highway Thru Hell to already know what they look like. I have talked to drivers back in the day who work at shippers or receivers during live loads to know, they've been speeding in west texas back in the day, blew a steer tire and it was over.

Most carriers won't touch me, but I found one who did 3 months later. How ever, I was put with a co-driver who turned around and didn't secure a load that he picked up. He was also the one that made it to receiver, when he opened the doors two pallets fell right out the back. My first response to him after watching all his other on the road erratic driving behavior, did you secure the load? He said, no! It was a live load at that and he was the person who picked up from the shipper that day. I contacted my DM again for the 2nd time being out with this guy that I am no longer riding with him. He is going to kill my self, Himself, or someone else. Now, I sit at home, waiting for a truck to be fixed so I can go back out solo and be the safest #### driver out there. I forgot to mention, the first day I was out with him, when his turn to drive, guy almost jack knifed the truck into a turn. Why? Speeding, raining past three days, jerky as hell on the wheel to cause tires to loose traction. I've learned my lesson. If company wants to fire me for breaking a pre-loaded trailer because its already sealed to look inside, so be it. Fine me some one else to work for. huh! Other wise, you can just take my CDL too while your at it.

Stay safe folks. Happy New Years!

 

There were two kinds of loads that I always hated getting involved with. One when the trailer was sealed, because I never knew what condition the load was in. Two was cleaning up another drivers mess. Several years ago I was sent to a place near Houston Texas that I always hated to do a pickup. The morons on the loading dock would never allow you inside the dock and always jumped down and closed the doors then sealed the load before I had a chance to get back there. I fixed that problem with about 15 feet of chain and two padlocks. I locked one door in the open position. Those morons tried that crap with me and saw real quick it was not going to work. Pre-loaded loads can be a pain.

 

Yes, they can. Really sucks in my position too considering it wasn't due to weather conditions and crap which is easily avoidable. I mean, compared to what happen to me Vs's those driving 60mph in white out conditions in MI last year with those two different winter storm videos on youtube...... Hah! Gotta be kiding me. I bet they're already back to driving in another truck too. I mean, what if a car were to slam into the side of the truck, caused me to go over a cement barrier and the truck over turn? Something out of my control because someone decided they were going to be a complete moron for the day. I mean, is that how it is? A driver that spent such and such money, time and effort is basically forced to what..... It's like the company I am with now. I was forced to go here because no one else would give me that opportunity, then I get stuck with a guy who has 3 speeding tickets that hes told me and god knows what else on his crapper. So, when push comes to shove, his mistakes can ruin my record further more that I have been safe guarding since I started driving. It's a real #### kick in the teeth I will tell ya and I will be ###### if I get back in the truck with that guy either. Amazed company hasn't fired him yet. I mean, I even told the DM Christmas day about his none sense, then we leave out Saturday, got to receiver, didn't secure the load and had two pallets from floor to ceiling fall out the back of the trailer. HE EVEN TOLD THE DM ON THE PHONE ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE WERE RUNNING LATE TO OUR PICK UP APPT BECAUSE OF IT. Not including X-mas Day, DM called him to confront the guy about him almost jack knifing the truck etc because he was speeding. Instead, he says their was no tread on the drive tires. Their almost new tires, said he was doing 55mph which is total bull. I can't believe it. A load he didn't secure when he picked up, me sleeping, its now sealed, and when my time to drive I could've been stuck with that BS Improper Prevention Against Load shift, again? NO!!!!! Why don't I just take my car and drive 160mph and run from the police at that rate? That's basically what the situation is for me. Intentionally speeds up to 75mph for grades too.. I mean, wtf...... You know what, not my problem. They don't want me that bad thats fine, just don't come apologizing to me when the guy kills some buddy, because I #### well told ya so, have the text and pictures of his pallets falling outta the back of the trailer too, from a flat surface. tut tut

 

The industry is full of a bunch of Jack as that know everything about trucking except for how to drive one there own selfs.
Office jocks, brokers, shippers and receivers all have never driven a truck for a living, but know everything about trucking.

 

Your post reminded me of a discussion I once had with a very beautiful girl whom worked in the safety dept. I had one of those systems in my tractor that reported a hard brake to safety. I was bobtail in Arkansas coming from a Walmart DC to find some food. I got eat up with being a dummy and forgot that braking changes when you bobtail and hit my brake way too hard. The next time I got to the terminal I was asked about that event. This girl could not understand this concept of braking changing like that. I finally put her butt in my tractor and let her feel how the brakes were bobtail and hooked to a loaded trailer. I found a place in the rear of the terminal and it did not take long for her to admit she was wrong and removed the incident.

 

You know, its pretty bad you had to go that far just to prove your self anyway. After all, you're considered a professional. A little common sense will tell you the braking is a lot different. A good way to describe it would be going faster in a car, due to your excessive speed you're required to put more force on your brakes to slow down in a sense. You'll be able to feel the weight as well. At least in my stang I can.

 

I ended up laying down a loaded truck and trailer back in January.the cause: I moving at 50 mph on a two lane road,a motorist coming from the other direction was coming towards the center line so to avoid contact with the car I inched over to the right and the shoulder started to give way and pulled the trailer down and I ended up laying it down. I called safety emediatly. I told them I had just clicked seat belt right before all that happened. They are now saying that this was a preventable accident cause I fastened my seat belt. I now have been targeted for tailgating in rush hour traffic in Chicago as well as stop and go traffic.i.e.there was a jack knifed truck on I-80W,we came to a stop and go situation for about 5miles, I got reprimanded and almost terminated because I got 23 hits for “tailgating”. I need help from someone out there in moving to a better situation. I have almost 15 yrs.driving over the road in all 48 states.

 

I have been driving for about 15 yrs without an accident 2mill.+miles. I was driving on a two lane road at 50mph. I had just fastened my seat belt when I observed a motorist coming down the opposite direction veering towards the center(line) of the road. I then inched to the right to avoid making contact with the car.the trailer had caught the edge of the asphalt and shoulder which gave way and pulled the trailer down the shallow ditch.this in turn caused the truck and trailer to lay down. The company I am driving for has worded it as a preventable accident because I was fastening my seat belt. I now have a dash cam installed since the accident.Coming through Chicago shortly after the cam installation it recorded 18 tailgating incidents during heavy traffic on I-80/94W.Again 23times on I-80E coming up to stopped traffic at MP -198 due to a jack knifed truck.both of these were all stop and go barely moving.This company is trying to find a reason to fire me because of the accident. I need to find another company who will hire me on. I like to stay between the mountains. I have driven all 48 states. I rewrote this from the last post a little better

 

You're going to need a 2nd chance company. Plenty of those on Craigslist.
Where is your location; your home state?
USA Truck has hired drivers with recent rollovers, and there's others also.