3 Preventable Accidents Within a Year

I have driven with some guys that had a problem with watching their tandems. Some of them I knew were smart guys. But I remember when I took my road test with an old man retired from truck driving that was just doing road tests, I took a turn and I didn't watch my tandems, he told me, "every time your tractor turns, your head needs to turn or you are going to hit something." While I was learning to drive my driving instructor yelled at me, "look at your tandems. Look at them. That is where you will kill somebody, back there!" Like he yelled it after the 3 time I failed to look in my mirror. I don't know your situation or how you were trained, but I was fortunate to have people that cared enough to make sure I understood enough to yell it so I would remember.

I repeat that same line when I notice some of the newer guys that aren't watching their trailers when they are turning. Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't.

Make it like muscle memory, every time no matte what. Even small turns, just look at your tandems even if you know everything is going to be fine.

 

When you are backing up you need to go slow. When I was learning, and even now that I am a little better, I still back really slow. It makes people impatient kind of slow.

The last guy I trained he was a decent backer for a bran new guy, but he backed so fast! And at that speed, he wasn't good enough. His speed exceeded his skill set. And I would be behind him spotting him per company policy and he would not even be looking at me. He went flying back and came 2 feet from putting the trailer through a glass wall building. I was back there with the signal to stop jumping up and down. lol. I made a lot of money that week but to say I was exhausted just wasn't a strong enough of a word. I wouldn't care to repeat that week. Not for any money.

Im rambling, just take it slow driver. Slow. not saying I'm perfect or an expert or anything, just I know slow is better. Too slow better than too fast.

 

And, needless to say...

Get Out And Look!
There is a very good reason why G.O.A.L is a mantra.

Other drivers can wait for you (or me) to back in safely.
I don't like waiting 10 minutes or more for a slow backing driver. But if he makes it in safely it does not matter.
I might be held up far longer if that driver (or me) hit another truck in the process of being in a hurry and blocked the way for an hour.

 

Ok no offense but with 3 preventable accidents in a year I think you should hang up the keys or try a box truck. We have a responsibility to protect those around us and with 3 preventable accidents 1 reason or another you failed miserably. I'm not trying to be an ####### but this is the wrong career for you.

 

These are minor accidents where he just scrapped headlights.

I don't know what happened with that Nissan, but we know a lot of guys get very lousy training. We know that. He didn't run anyone off the road, he cracked a headlight. Big deal.

 

First 2 are minor BS. Third one is a wreck.
I don't think he should be banished to a life of meditation in some monastery.
.

 

These 3 may have been minor but what about #4 he's obviously having issues paying attention to what he is doing. It only takes 1 small mistake to end a life. 3 in a year is way too much.

 

Quit putting 3 accidents on job applications.
You had 1 accident and 2 incidents. Let the companies you apply to decide how they want to approach this.

 

That's true. But he didn't end a life. The circumstances could have been such he knew nobody was around and he let his guard down where he normally would have been more alert. I don't know much about the driver but I know that when I see people walking around I pay more attention naturally. When I know I am in an empty parking lot, I tend to feel more relaxed. And I am fortunate to have had good training to know that no matter what I need to see what my trailer is doing. I have been reading in these forums long enough to know that not every driver gets that sort of attention when they are learning. And I would have taken out a couple headlights or scraped my trailer along the side of something had my trainers not burned that idea into my memory. Not people, just objects that don't resonate in the brain the same way as people do.

 

So you define hitting another vehicle as an incident?

The OP hit another vehicle while pulling out, another while backing, and rear ended another.
They are are all preventable accidents in any sane persons book.