Stupid incident to my truck hoping I want get fired

I wouldn't worry about it. Admit your mistake, and that's it. Most of us have done it at one point. Even guys with a million years exp. admit it, be embarrased for a little and move on. You're fine.

 

Some guy just did it right in front of me here at the Sturbridge, MA Pilot. Two J Hirsbach drivers were swapping loads. One was parked and the other stopped in the lot next to where the otber was parked. The parked driver had already dropped and was ready. He pulled out and parked beside the other driver as he dollied down. Thry chitchatted a bit. I went back to texting my wife and looked up just in time to see the second driver pull out from his trailer without taking off his gladhands and pigtail. Guess the chitchat distracted him. If I had looked up a second or so sooner I might have been able to warn him to stop.

 

I did that once eight years ago.

After delivering in Dallas one morning my fleet manager told me to go pick up a load that, according to the words she wrote on the Qualcomm, looked to be at Abbott Labs in Austin. I deadheaded there.

The load was at the Dallas drop yard. We disagreed about whose mistake it was and whether I should be paid the miles, down and back. I phoned her supervisor. After reading the Qualcomm message, her supervisor told her to pay me the miles.

Once everything got straightened out and it was time to head back up to Dallas, I somehow forgot that the hoses were still attached. I don't remember why, but they were. The biggest problem was, I didn't notice anything amiss until traveling a little ways, far enough for the hoses to get all wound up ultra-tight around one of the axles.

Luckily three guys showed up in the road service truck, so the repair didn't take all that long (less than three hours). Almost the whole time was spent freeing up and removing the trashed hoses.

Have to give my fleet manager credit for not giving me any flak about the flub, especially right after we had that pay dispute. All she said was "call road service". (She wasn't perfect, but she sure was a great FM...she was awarded FM of the Year that year, at a big company.)

Her letting that mistake slide motivated me to give my all to rescuing that load. I kept telling her it would have to be relayed. She kept replying that there weren't any candidates. Finally I was so close to Michigan, I gave up on relaying and just kept rolling.

The load got delivered on time and I never heard anything more about the hoses.

 

You don't make many mistakes twice do you? There is a good reason to have a routine for everything and follow it.

 

I do, I just don't admit it lol. But never going to make that mistake again of forgetting to dolly down.

 

you just have to learn to slow down. its when you are in a rush that bad things happen. as far as running out of hours,(i'm assuming you're on e-logs) stop and put yourself on-duty once you are inside of truckstop. then go park. qc shouldn't put you on drive.

 

The first time I did it I had been driving about 3 months.

I carry a set now. We only unhook about once a month to clean and grease the fifth wheel. Lets just say that between my wife and I it has happened a few times.

 

"my dreaded cell phone ring and began to chat with wife and went back into truck without uncoupling glad hands and 15 minutes later boom "

Being on the phone and trying to perform/learn a task , is a recipe for disaster.Plenty of time to chat after you do your drop and hook.
Oh, and I dropped a trailer on the truck frame by forgetting to lower landing gear and getting in a rush.
EVERYBODY makes mistakes, hopefully we learn from them.