Common new driver mistakes?

So do you go by Donald in AZ now.

 

This one time I pulled up to our yard (its on a little two lane) there were several guys trying to get get the gate unlocked and one of them walls out to the street to ask me for help, " sure no problem"
So I get the lock open and turn around and WTF!! Somebody stole my truck.
I walk out to the street and I see it about a half mile down just about on its side.
Yep stepped out without setting the breaks.
It rolled down and into a ditch Lol.
I was very fortunate that I was really light not even 5klbs between both pups.
Talk about an embarrassing phone call to make actually two , one to the company to get a wrecker and then one to my boss to tell him what I did to his truck, Roflmao.
No damage whatsoever and didn't get fired.
Yes I was a rookie only been driving about 4 yrs at the time.

 

Everyone makes rookie mistakes. I remember I was with my trainer when I first started. We picked a loaded. Trailer in Colorado and he had me get under it. I don't get out and check to make sure it was hooked up properly. I dropped the trailer. Luckily I was able to get back under it. I check every time I hook up.to a trailer now. Another time I hit a truck on Florida and took his hood off. I was backing. Could have been avoided if I had got out and looked. All rookie mistakes

 

I was in a rush one morning - doing a trailer swap with another driver. Didn't get out and check the king pin and jaws (it SOUNDED like a good hook-up)... Dropped the trailer (fully loaded mind you) right on the half fenders of the truck. Took TWO bucket loaders to pick it up. Lesson learned? DOUBLE CHECK THE JAWS. Still check 4 or 5 times per hook-up to this day!

 

It's not a mistake I made, as much as one I see rookies, or drivers with a few months experience make, but that is not listening to veteran drivers when they try and teach you something.

Had trouble getting into a spot about a year into my career and was struggling bad that day. An old man, been driving 40 plus years, helped me get in and then taught me some tricks in relation to backing and other things. Sure my pride was hurt when I first talked to him, but after words, that was one of the best conversations I have ever had.

 

Or driving in a town that wasn't planned for trucks in the slightest...

 

Everyone that’s ever driven has done at least one of those, as others have said. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing it, everyone has an oops. I had one today and it was quite embarrassing but was over shortly. Most important thing is learning. Truck driving IS NOT a job you can get better at by reading a book or watching YouTube videos for the most part this is a job you HAVE TO DO to get better at.

 

One of our drivers used to have a habit of pulling down his trolley valve instead of setting his parking brake if he was just going to be out of the truck for a minute.
A lot of the old timers did that.
He was tightening his tail wrapper on a load of logs when the truck began to roll ahead. He said later that he set a new record for the seventy foot dash and the high jump to get back into the cab.
He also said that he'd never do that again. He got the truck stopped about two feet before it ran off into a deep canyon.

 

Basically...You Either Wash Out ...into that 15-30° That Dont Make It...or You have a Few F up"s That No One Actually Notices...And You Keep Tryin...Eventually..You make the cut.No serious scrapes..and you realize how Big your truck really is..and learn how to drive it.Best Advice An Old Dinosaur told me..."Learn How to Drive the Truck..."Dont Let The Truck Drive You! Still Rings True today ...12 years into it now.Still hangin on(knock on wood). Expect the unexpected.I "Hog the roundabout"...No ones Gettin around me ,Unless I let them.TS...""What R U Gonna Do about it"...or somesuch.Gotta Be "At the Top of Your Game..ALWAYS...that what makes this Career Challenging? Pay Attention! I remember being New..It Sucked,Yes.Just gotta "Fight Like Hell". It does Get Better.Just MO