Getting fired during 2 week notice?

If you work local and come in at 2 in the morning in a yard that is not even lit, and you have shifted tandems 3 times, done 2 live unloads, 3 drop and hook, opened doors, had to wait in line at the shipper and go through security each time....well, you get the idea. Sometimes it's hard to be perfect after 14.

 

If it were me I'd be upfront and honest with the new company before you start. Your current and soon to be former company could try to make things worse for you if they have that kind of people working there.

 

If you avoided killing 3 people, well that balances it all out. You are good to go.

 

I aint claiming to be perfect or saying you need to turn in your cdl, but you do need to figure out what your deal is. What are you doing wrong? What are you not doing right? To have that many booboos in that short a time frame is a major malfunction.

 

@Travelworld2067 I am not being an arse here, but seeing that you are trying to get on with a good LTL company in another thread you really need to rethink your attitude. It would be a shame to get a great job with a LTL company only to lose it a month later because of a minor mistake. Most of those companies have a zero tolerance policy, meaning it is NEVER acceptable to make contact with a parked vehicle or non-movable object. Even traffic accidents where you are not at fault are scrutinized heavily and can end a career if you didn't do everything they expect to avoid the incident.

I say this with compassion, not everyone is cut out for all types of driving. I was the one in the other thread that recommended you look at Saia, my brother works line haul for them and from his stories I can tell you that you would be let go for any one of the "minor incidents" you have described in this thread. You really need to rethink how you approach being a professional driver before your driving and employment record make it impossible for you to get another job. I say this with 26 years as a professional driver, over 2 million accident and incident free miles in the metro NY City region doing mostly pickup and delivery of cars in areas that tractor trailers do not belong.

It is possible if you just stop and pay attention, never do anything you are not 110% sure of, I don't care how many years you have been driving get out and look if you can't be positive you have clearance. Turn off the cell phone and stereo, keep the mirrors and windows spotlessly clean and concentrate on only the task at hand, driving! You can be successful if you want to, it just takes enormous self-discipline. Good luck.

 

It is difficult to be perfect, but many of us do a pretty decent job of being darn near there 99.9% of the time. I also bump numerous docks, drop and hook numerous trailers, enter and leave through many gates, and all listed above each day.

My point was a vast majority of drivers are performing "C" grade work/professional & think they are worth "A" grade pay.

 

He is not being "rude"

Some of the most dangerous backing I have ever done took a thousand get out and looks. That is why I remember some of them in the night or storms etc.

One dock.. let's lay my situation. This is three docks on a 40 foot ramp sloped down to them so the docks are like maybe two steps high at the entry door and bench to one side.

Im backing in between two trucks. My trailer refuses to show me the right hand mirrior view correct. The left was clear all down. But the pete to my right side did not show two sets of headlights and really importantly only one bumper post blue LED.

5 drivers sat on the bench next to that door watching me. Back and forth back and forth. None lifted a finger.

I finally got out and walked the entire right side twice. I realized the Pete behind me on the right was crooked just a few inches enough to put his bumper and that left post and his steer against my right trailer tail light and outer aft trailer right tire. 4 feet difference.

I might have hit him. SO I had to make a little crooked adjustment that bent my own mind a little bit becuase I was getting tired, rushed etc and thinking that things are bad but same time breathe and step one step two one inch then one foot ease on back.

Took me an hour like a flat newbie. But you know? I would have so easily wrecked that nice large car.

Truckers are good people when they take a minute to tell you something that maybe rub you a little bit or perhaps seem rude. In his defense, and yours.. It is my theory the internet does not convey a sense of emotion to convey the idea that he is not talking down or rude to you or vice versa etc but rather stating some cold truths earned in blood, sweat and tears as well as maybe a few smashes and some firings here and there.

I personally prefer a company that gives me a little bit of room to work. Trust is a two way street. If they are really tight and I feel hemmed in it's time to move on usually. But not always.

I'll give you one example of a trucker who told me off one day when I was 21 running a milk truck. I came in a little late one morning. Milk farms require that milk truck there at 5 am on one of my routes to start the day, they have way too many things to do and never enough time to wait on me being late at 7 am.

He asked me whats the matta you sick? Drunk? Party boy? Girls what? I had a very late night in a Photon Arena that year.

He exploded. He said this. You will either be a professional milk hauler for them blasted school kids in baltimore or you go be a spaceman. Which it to be boy?

The space games ended a few years later. NASA would have been nice. But nah. Not my place in this life.

 

Even the best can make mistakes when tired or sleep deprived. My terminal sucked. Trucks and trailers parked where ever, narrow uphill gate. Dirt lot, etc. Up the street was a Ryder lot. Lit, nice wide gate, trucks parked orderly. Luck of the draw sometime.