How bad am I screwed?... OOS question.

Ok, here's the deal.

I did my delivery in Livermore California with the trailer that had issues with the brakes. The brand new trailer from the air brakes post. while I was waiting for my hours to come back doing an 8/2 split so I could take it to the shop I got another load assignment. I had to go take that trailer that I had to Salinas drop it pick up another load.

After arguing with them for a while they finally agreed that I should take the trailer to French Camp for repairs. I then bobtail to Salinas from French Camp and picked up the pre loaded trailer late now due to the extra trip. During my pre trip I discovered that the belly wires have been chewed up (looked like they got pinched in something) and somebody had pulled or cut the wires to the ABS light so it would stop flashing I guess. I told the company I would take it to French Camp where in the morning mechanics could work on it.

The next morning I got it in the shop and they discovered that the brakes were going out and needed to be replaced immediately and that the preventive maintenance service was due so they got everything taken care of. It took so long that I could no longer delivered a load but I knew I can get it to Coburg Oregon where they can get it off on someone else to deliver it.

The dispatchers were in a rush and pushing me to get going faster. I had already done a pre trip on the trailer right before all of the work was done and it passed including the air brakes test but I didn't actually crawl under and look at the brake linings because I don't know what to look for. Since they were pushing me to hurry up and get out so the load would be on time all I did was a quick glance at the slack adjusters to see that they were in a roughly 90 degree angle, fueled up, and took off. Since the work I just been done by their certified mechanic I figured it would be fine. When I got to the Cottonwood scale I followed another truck through the scale being in a hurry I screwed up and looked at the wrong sign so I followed the truck and I think that's what got me pulled in.

While I was in there they said everything on the truck passed except for 3 of the 4 brakes on the trailer we're out of adjustment. It put me out of service. I know I screwed up being in a rush I should have looked better but they all look right about the right place and the work had just been done.

How badly am I screwed because I screwed up and didn't look better?

Lesson learned. I need to find someone who can teach me more about checking these things and what to look for. Ugh!! Shame on me. How long will it stay on my record if the company doesn't accept the reasonably for their mechanics oops. Turns out when he did the brakes he forgot to adjust them.

 

TWT.......

 

They do but my experience in the brakes was in school learning to say I would make sure they are adjusted to manufacture specs and in orientation we took a wrench and twisted the bolt on an unattached slack adjuster a couple of times and called it good.

No, not a mega. Yes, lesson learned. I'm going to find someone who can teach me about brakes.

The DOT officer is the one who told me that if the company took responsibility for it then it would not go on my record since it was the mechanics mistake. I'm waiting to talk to the company.

I'm usually very thorough when doing my pre-trips to the point of pissing the company off because I won't haul a bad trailer. That included that new trailer that I argued with them over. Turned out that it had been in 3 times for repairs and nobody caught that the airline was kinked.

Argh!! I feel terrible that I failed doing the pre-trip properly because I was to lax, rushed, and trusted the mechanic.