Accident during training

You said you had enough space to merge and then you said you were even with the car when it slammed the breaks.

If that is so it was totally your fault for not yielding since she had right of way. She slammed the breaks because you were merging on top of here doing 10 below speed limit.

Good luck with whatever the out come.

 

Having enough space doesn't mean you're clear to merge or change lanes. If you're not merging at highway speed, that 4 wheeler you pulled out in front of was going 10-20 mph faster than you.

 

I agree that the other truck was following too close, but that truck didn't cause the accident. Under no circumstances should you pull out in front of another vehicle like that. Like I noted, just because you're clear doesn't mean it's safe to merge. You're obligated to stop and give right-of-way to vehicles on the highway. Not them. You should have stopped the truck. But it's said and done. Take that as lesson learned and move on.

You have a lot going against you as a new driver to a new company. Especially as a student under a probationary period.

I don't know what else to tell you other than keep applying to different companies. If you put enough bait out there, someone will bite.

 

Ok with your revised explanation it seems that the four wheeler was probably not paying too much attention and looked up just in time to see you merging and did a panic stop. I would guess that they were going faster than you thought and you really didn't have the room that you thought you had. Get a lawyer because you will be sued. Make sure that the cell phone records of the four wheeler and truck are subpoenaed because if they were on their phones you may have a case for you being less at fault. The trucking company fired you to try to lessen their potential liability in this. You were insured by them and they and their insurance are on the hook for this. Don't let them try to hang you out to dry. Stay in touch with their insurance department because you are going to need to know where to forward the law suit paperwork when you get it by certified mail. It is rare these days for an accident that is serious in any way to not end in a law suit. You are not personally on the hook the trucking company insurance is responsible for defending you so just make sure you are a good witness for them and keep your ducks in a row.

An at fault accident and citation doesn't end you career by any means but getting those while in training is going to make things very hard on you. If you had several years of experience with one at fault accident you would be just fine. Since you don't have any experience and will certainly have a ding on your DAC from this it may make it very hard to get another job. Start getting on the phone and hitting up all the training companies and don't think about being selective as you need to take what you can get until this accident gets two or three years behind you.

 

My company has blamed me for a couple things that I didn't get a ticket or cited for. That's just how it goes. Like another person said, you didn't damage your equipment so you will be able to find another company. I know mine would ptolly hire you.

 

That has to be the dumbest scenario for getting a ticket I've ever heard! So now we are ALSO responsible for OTHERS having accidents? Oh Lawd where does it end? I also had a similar situation,you think I gave a rats arse who got what ticket? My lil arse kept on a trucking! Someone having a little fender bender in my rear view is of no concern to me.( as long as its just a fender bender) I'm outta there,bc I know how it works...always truckers fault.
I had a lady trying to make me turn into traffic bc she wouldn't move( they always want you to go first,not realizing you need that extra room) and she ended up smacking into someone and as I passed by she was talking to the "local yocal" and pointing at me...Ha......that's on you lady and just smiled and was a gone pecan. That cop knew she was responsible for her own actions.So I don't understand how they pinned that on you. That's crazy.

 

Did all this happen behind you? I know it is rude, but why not keep grabbing gears and make the scene look really small in your mirrors.

 

But the problem is you caused it. If you hadn't cut the car off she wouldn't have hit the breaks getting rear ended.