Accidents Is There A Job Out There After

I took out 5 doors within the 1st hour. What's sad is that I didn't even have my CDL yet, this was at the school. They kicked me out and now I have this $6K bill. I gotta pay.

 

I would have never admitted the second two door incidents. I would have filled out a phoney pre-trip & written up the broken hinges or just dropped the trailers on the yard and say, "It wasn't like that when I dropped the trailer." How about, "Yes, I saw the broken hinges, but I needed the miles so I took the load anyway." BS'ing is a fun hobby. It's a tough world. Nowadays some have to be vicious in the job market. One guy took a dead relative's birth certificate & joined the French Foreign Legion.

You probably need to hit the streets filling out applications at small outfits, local concrete companies, some companies just need 2 or 3 drivers delivering building materials, etc.

 

Yeah, but you cheated on the doors. You used a hand grenade. . .

 

THE BIG ONE CLEAN WINDOW AND MIRRORS 1ST !

Now , I would hope you're taking these off in enclosed docks and not out side docks. There's not a darn thing I can say to make you pay more attention if you're tearing em off outside during the day. You have to do that.

You did not specify the surroundings during these incidents. In my experiences though , there are times that with the sun rising or setting behind you , backing into an enclosed dock , it may as well be a cave. Now If this was your case more times than not in these events , here are some tips , get as many outside dock doors to the right and left of your assn hole opened , if needed tell them why. If there's an open dock in the center alway ask the dock personnel if you can back into the center one. also ask them to open the outside doors to the left and right.

If it's one single enclosed dock with the sun rising behind you or setting behind you , when you line up if it's a black hole set brakes. Take a good strong flash light walk to the dock , place the light on the outer edge of the dock cushion that the driver side is gonna be against once you're backed in. As you are backing in you aim the left side of your trailer to the right of the light 4 to 5 inches. TIP: using the light method , thesecond you lose sight of that light , stop pull up slowly turning your wheel slightly to the left til its lined up again. Focus on the light and about 4 or 5 inches space between it and the trlr side . As you get further into the dock well , the light will begin lighting your trlr side up a bit. As your mirrors now enter into the enclosure you should again be able to see.
In the early morn and evening when the sun is low and your backing into a closed in well with the sun in your mirror you're guessing goin into an inside dock , it is a black hole.

Line up , you see this black hole , get out and look all over in this dock well for I-beams left , right and , over head. If by chance you're pulling some older equipment with crappy retaining latches you have to get something to better secure these doors . Coat hangers are champion fixes when you have rotted trailer sides with little to no latch.

If it so bad you just can't see squat , and it's super tight , go in and tell someone you need eyes in there . If it's this bad I assure you you won't be the first , and won't be the last.
Before getting another job you have to fix where it is you're going wrong. If I can't see real good into that dock as I'm looking out my driver window into the hole , I'm out of the truck and walking around in there. I still do this after 25 yrs. Don't be embarrassed to ask dock personnel for help in these situations , trust me other guys that didn't tore stuff up , and the ones that did , had a good day and went out and made some money.

 

Good points about not driving excessively with doors open. Elk Grove Village IL you see locals often goin 2 blocks to the next stop with their swingers open. STUPID...A car gets a little too close as the door pops off the latch and you put 3 or 4k worth the damage on the car and the door won't shut. If I'm a cop and see ya goin down the road with your swing doors open , you get ticketed , tell it to the judge I don't want to hear it. As for backing in with them closed and opening them 5 ft from the dock , yes maybe 25% of the docks , the other 75% do not allow the swing space needed to to do it. Often with a setting or rising sun in back of you goin into a enclosed dock you need something to navigate goin in to that dock or your almost certain to tear something up. In these cases you have to be smart and set a flash light on the dock to aim for or ask someone to be your eyes. Then again some guy do all that and then proceed to bak in with their windows up and their radio on. The guy you asked to spot ya hollered stop but you never heard em , why ? ... he didn't yell loud enough I guess.

 

You can definitely get a job. It may be that you'll have to go with a bad company for a year, like USA, PAM, US Express. Koch would be a good one to try if they'll train. Since you don't have a year driven yet, expect a trainer again. Reefer companies are easier to get a job with than van. Many flatbed companies are looking but it's hard work. If you want to go flatbed then remember that of the big guys Maverick is hard to beat. It's out there. Good luck.

 

I'm gonna have to give the same advice as most others, call a mega carrier and beg for mercy, lol. But like they said if you dont learn from your mistakes you are not making any head way. I wish you the best of luck and learn to watch ur surroundings, your eyes are your best tool.