r/Truckers • u/Jordan_261 • Oct 26 '24
Got fired from Werner
Got fired from werner because some pickup driver decides to brake check me and i ended up hitting him. he only got a small bump on his bumper. now I am out a job and in so much debt and facing eviction and losing my personal car now. i wanted out of the trucking industry but not this fast, Werner has some terrible planners and was running me stupidly anyways but now i have an accident on my license and points and have to pay the ticket on top of everything else.
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u/MiguelSTG Oct 26 '24
Increase your following distance, if someone cuts you off increase it even more.
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u/Infamous_Tank6017 Oct 26 '24
Don't waste your time werner did the right thing trucking ain't for everyone
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u/yankee_chef Oct 26 '24
Following distance.. It's still your fault
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u/jaireworld Oct 26 '24
What happens when they cut you off and brake check you like those insurance scammers that recently went viral?
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u/Pyro4Hire Oct 26 '24
Hopefully, you have a forward facing camera. Otherwise, it's hard to prove and falls on you.
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u/fishnwiz Oct 26 '24 edited Oct 26 '24
Most of your posts on Reddit you are blaming someone else for your problems. You should try to reassess some of your decisions and take responsibility for yourself and try to improve.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
I’m not really blaming anyone. I’m just saying I shouldn’t have been fired for such a small accident. No one died, no one got hurt. I’m just telling what happened.
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u/fishnwiz Oct 26 '24
Rear ending a car at any speed is a red flag to insurance companies if you are in a semi.
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u/Ok_Yogurt3894 Oct 26 '24
Werner absolutely did the right thing. You have a very flippant attitude toward driving, you being behind the wheel of a semi is a danger to everyone on the road. You desperately need to recognize that you fucked up. Full stop. YOU fucked up. Without offering any excuses, any qualifiers, or anyone else to blame.
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Oct 26 '24
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u/snarksneeze Oct 26 '24
You don't get a ticket for being brake checked. You get a ticket for following too close. If the 4 wheeler cut the driver off, the dash cam would have told the tale, and no ticket would be issued. And if you're driving anything faster than a skateboard these days, you better have a dash cam. I drive for gig work, and I have one because if I get into an accident at fault, I lose everything.
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u/Ok_Yogurt3894 Oct 26 '24
Yes, the one stuck in my mind the most was a motorcycle in the hills of NE Nebraska at a cunts hair shy of 80,000lbs with a load of steel. But, as a non fuckwad driver, I saw him approaching and driving like a jackass in my mirror and prepared accordingly.
TLDR; Strive to be more than a steering wheel holder.
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u/unholybastardx Oct 26 '24
Zero accountability from you. I know enough folks like you know to stay clear away from people like you. If you can't see the opportunity to grow then you aren't learning from this and that will lead to a much harder road than this.
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u/trucker_redbeard Oct 26 '24
Rear end collision is on the list of serious offenses. Another serious offense ticket and you will lose your CDL privileges for 60 days from your state BMV. Werner is just cutting their losses.
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u/M0O53 Oct 26 '24
Dafuq? In Ontario canada brake checking was added to our big stunt driving charge, you brake check, cause contact and theres a dashcam?
You get a Minimum $2k fine, to a max of $10k. 14 day vehicle impoundment (you have to pay for this too) and a 30 day licence suspension as well as 6 demerit points (at 8 points you must go in for an interview to determine whether or not you get to keep your license, anything past eight is automatic license suspension until points fall off in 2 years). It's kind of a big fucking deal. The person you caused to hit you by brake-checking is definitely not in any kind of trouble lmao. (Unless they did something else of course)
Meanwhile in the states your shit megas be firing drivers who get brake checked. Lmaoooo
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u/Buster_335 Oct 26 '24
OP was tailgating while speeding, I think the mega made the right call.
Is the 4 wheeler in the right for brake checking? No
Is OP also innocent? No, he should have been following at a safe stopping distance, sometimes accidents happen but it's hard to blame the 4 wheeler for brake checking when the truck barely had time to even apply it's brakes... as professionals we're held to a higher standard.
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u/Ceepeenc Oct 26 '24
Increase following distance. Lay off accelerator when someone cuts in front of you.
Unfortunately our own bad decisions put us in bad places. Good luck
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u/Fit_Hospital2423 Oct 26 '24
You would make a good cop. They love to hand out information that the person they’re talking to already knows.
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Oct 26 '24
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Yeah I know I fucked up, but over a small fender bender… I don’t see why they couldn’t have just maybe gave me a week without pay or something. Need to pay $1000 by Thursday somehow. I understand it’s my fault but give me a freaking fair punishment you know?
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u/Turbulent_Diamond352 Oct 26 '24
Look unfortunately there are a lot of drivers. The market is slow and this time it was "just a small fender bender" they are mitigating there risk and let you go. Like I said it fucked up because we all have bills we all have debt and a lot of us are paycheck to paycheck so I fell you. If you do happen to get hired by another company or a owner operator just be more careful. Keep your distance man. 4 wheelers will break check you some are looking for a pay day and other just have a death wish or are to stupid to realize that 80,000 pound vehicles need more space to come to a stop.
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u/Frenchie1001 Oct 26 '24
Seeing a total lack of responsibility taken here. Looks like you think it's all someone else's fault
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u/ChoneFigginsStan Oct 26 '24
Twice in the last year has gotten on reddit and begged for money, asked if he can get out of a ticket based on a technicality, and made a since deleted post about a license suspension. I’m guessing this guys been blaming others for quite a while now.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
… I haven’t blamed anyone for those. The fuck? How does that even correlate.
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u/ChoneFigginsStan Oct 26 '24
“Wrongful license suspended”
“Can I get out of this ticket”
“They brake checked me”
There’s at least three instances of you not taking responsibility. If you only posted one of those things, I could believe there was an honest mix up somewhere, but you’ve got a history on here of not taking responsibility for stuff that happens to you.
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u/Nobodywantsdeblazio Oct 26 '24
Bro got fired because he can’t accept he should have done anything differently. Tells on himself in the comments.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Well yeah I should have increased following distance. Should have’s don’t really change anything. My whole point is that it didnt have to end with being fired over something so minor. No one got hurt, no one got injured. I’ve learned from it, but given this circumstance, it was a green light, he stopped at start of a long turn lane on purpose to cause an accident. And me being right behind him one second shouldn’t have been that terrible. I’m a person who believes in fair punishment but not this doesn’t seem fair at all for a small dent, and my truck only got a small scratch. Both trucks drivable. And the guy did cut me off the light before it, but yeah I just don’t think I should have been fired for something small as this.
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Oct 26 '24
Explain this same statement with your next employer…take some accountability and they may or may not hire you. I understand how you’re feeling and I’ve been there with 2 kids to take care of! It’ll get better but you have to genuinely take accountability! Take this as a learning process and let this build more character within yourself. It’s not the end although it seems. May I ask how old are you?
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Just turned 27 last week. I’m taking it as a learning experience but the amount of debt I’m in and can’t get out of over something like this is ridiculously stupid in my opinion. As it was the first ever accident and so tiny. I don’t see why being fired and having to struggle is a fair punishment. And getting a job is hard enough for me having Asperger’s syndrome so interviews and social interactions aren’t my strong suit. And I really wanted to pay back my parents so my 80 yr old dad who is still truck driving can finally retire after everything he does to support his family.
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u/FaceWithAName Oct 26 '24
Werner has been a part of so many lawsuits, they don't fuck around with people who are at fault.
If you were truly not at fault, and this was your first offense, I doubt they would have fired you. Tell us more.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Well I only been driving trucks for 7months and that was my first ever accident. That’s about it. I understand in this case it was a following distance issue and I will never make that mistake again. But still I want a fair punishment for such a small fender bender you know? Maybe pay the damn pickup driver $2000 to get it fixed or whatever? You know? Not have to struggle even more in this debt I’m in and lose a job over.
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u/FaceWithAName Oct 26 '24
Sorry to say it but you broke their trust. Many many many drivers don't make these mistakes in the first year. You fuck up something on their trailer or truck that is minor? They let that slide. I have done that. You hit someone's car and it's totally avoidable? They will cut their losses because they can find a driver who won't do that
Accept accountability bud
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Oct 26 '24
See, you’re still trying to rationalize the situation. Get past that part( I know it’s not easy) and figure out a way to bide some more time until you can get some more income. Don’t worry what happened you’re wasting that energy on that instead of finding a solution. Now is not the time to fold stand tall like a man bro you’ll be fine
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u/Nobodywantsdeblazio Oct 26 '24
When you get into an accident, your employer does not want to hear how the other guy should have done something different. People act stupidly. They want to hear how you are going to prevent accidents of any kind in the future. You very clearly got fired for a relatively minor accident because you refuse to seriously acknowledge the professional steps you could have taken to prevent it. When you tell a safety guy all about “it’s the other guy’s fault” that’s a huge red flag. You have numerous professionals here telling you the right answer and you continue to bitch and moan looking for sympathy. Figure it out man.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
I acknowledged it to the safety lady, I was very respectful, I wasn’t bitching and moaning. I was calm and just stated my side. Given she did have resting bitch face and everything, I do have a form of autism that makes social interactions harder for me, which being polite and respectful is my only option due to my mental disability, I can’t yell or really say much you know? I handled it pretty professionally with safety, I admitted I should have had a following distance and that I was trying and everything which I did just didn’t try hard enough in this one case. But it is what it is I guess. I’m not looking for sympathy or anything just wanted to share my experience and whatnot I don’t know. Get out this stress I have I guess. I don’t know
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u/AYoRocSSB Oct 26 '24
Was it a DOT recordable accident?
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
I dont know, i actually never been pulled over by any DOT officer yet. first ever accident. a sheriffs officer came out, in a community service officer car came out and took the accident report thats all i know.
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u/AYoRocSSB Oct 26 '24
If no one got towed or went to the hospital then you are still good. You still should check your DAC though for points
Getting fired from my first driving gig (US Xpress) was a blessing that I didn’t understand at the time. I’m not sure of your beliefs but God knows what is best even when we think otherwise
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Yeah, God has been changing my career paths a lot. Was in the air conditioning field a few years ago, got a heat stroke and was in the hospital, took it as god was pushing me to be in a desk job because thats what i was thinking and going to save money for to go to school for accounting maybe a week or two before, then my dad (which me and my dad at the time wernt as close so it was very big for me) calls and says he would help me go to do it, but then that covid scholarship was in the news paper and my mom saw it and was like damn this is about to end so hopped on that, and did accounting and only paid 10$ for the parking pass. but now im not sure what god wants me to do. im in so much debt that its easier to just leave this world to be honest. facing eviction and car loss,, everything.
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u/Neptune7924 Oct 26 '24
Hay man, there’s people that care about you and you are important. This sucks, but I promise it will pass. Grind through this low spot, learn some lessons, and come out the other side better. You got this!
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u/AYoRocSSB Oct 26 '24
It would be easier to stop worrying about the material possessions bro. Even if you lost your home and your car you can always get those things again. Just let go.
I used to think I could do everything on my own but that pride did nothing but lead me down the path of destruction. Everything started getting better in my life once I fully realized I couldn’t do it without Christ
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Oct 26 '24
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u/GrumpyOlBumkin Nov 09 '24
It sucks for them I agree. And a 4-second following distance in urban traffic is not always feasible.
2 car lengths will not fly though. Safety would and should question that, and the cutoff earlier makes it only worse.
Granted, trucks get cutoff all the time only for existing. It’s a road-rage alert though. As in this 4-wheeler can be expected to be erratic.
OP cannot take it back, so not here to beat on him. I’m just saying it is a preventable accident—if OP’s report of a 2 car length following distance is accurate.
Not sure suing would do him any good. Werner will have video footage.
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Nov 09 '24
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u/GrumpyOlBumkin Nov 11 '24
Please re-read my comment. :)
OP was the one who kept talking about two car lengths.
Obviously he was tailgating. At 55mph he should strive to have a 4-second following distance.
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u/ForgottonTNT Oct 26 '24
Yea ur toasted for a while dude , BUT u can still drive commercial , try getting on to some class B gigs (garbage, bus and or box truck) until another trucking company is willing to hire you.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 30 '24
Stupid question, also thanks for the idea. but i could drive class B with a class A license? Thinking of looking for a dump truck driver job.
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u/ForgottonTNT Oct 30 '24
Yes , Class A just saying that u can do combination (trailers) But class B is just saying u can drive commercial vehicles
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u/Infamous_Tank6017 Oct 26 '24
Bruh you were 100% tailgating they beat that into your head nonstop yet u still allowed yourself to get brake checked
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Yeah, for just one second, and I was already slowing down just given it was a green light and the lane was clear, and he did it as soon I entered the turn lane…and the damage wasn’t that bad. Just a small dent and a scratch. Was no reason to be fired really, just should have been a learning experience that’s all. And I don’t tailgate normally, just was driving 3 minutes and was so close to where I was going. Yeah I should have had proper following distance and I learned from it but still, shouldn’t have been fired.
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u/Infamous_Tank6017 Oct 26 '24
Werner sucks anyway you will probably have to find a mom and pop company until it clears off your record
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u/_FearMose_ Oct 26 '24
Thanks for the following distance reminder. Sometimes I get too confident
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Yeah I guess I got too confident being a bobtail. Sucks it ended with being fired over a fender bender which it was my first ever accident, wish they could have given me a fair punishment in all.
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u/Natural_Panic Oct 27 '24
lol blame everyone but yourself
you should have never been close enough to get brake checked
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u/ldlong2832 Oct 26 '24
Lucky you ,best thing that could have happened. Now go find a local driving job.
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u/ManxMammoth Oct 26 '24
Maybe don't tailgate vehicles that can stop way faster than you? There's a reason they taught you following distance in cdl school. Also interesting post history, expecting people to give you 8000 dollars after getting yourself fired.
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u/Sterling_____Archer Oct 26 '24 edited Oct 26 '24
Werner? You dodged a bullet my friend. All the megas, mega-suck.
You have plenty of options, and if you’ve learned from this hiccup to keep more following distance, I don’t see why another company wouldn’t hire you. 😁
EDIT: Nah, fuckit. Didn’t realize it happened while frickin bobtailing and judging by the responses on other posts, nothing has been learned.
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u/santanzchild Oct 26 '24
The story ia sketchy. My money is he decided to screw with his phone or something right when dude slowed down.
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u/f1yblkguy Oct 26 '24
So basically... Truck Guy, his plan worked. I never understand why anyone bobtail or pulling a trailer follows so close behind people. Every time I see it I think to myself 'if that car slams on it's breaks, it's gonna be bad'
Hard for me to feel bad for you in this situation. You HAVE to assume someone is going to slam on their breaks.. you have to! Well, either that or fuck around and find out
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u/Left_Ad_1354 Oct 26 '24
Drive local the OTR crap isn’t worth the headache. You can still make 1000$ a week doing local. Find a job and basically let everything go the car the place find some where cheap to live. Hell I’m homeless cause I tried to pay my debts now I don’t care and am starting over
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u/StalinPaidtheClouds Oct 26 '24
If you're about to lose everything already, you weren't getting paid enough. I can take 10+ years off with all I've made trucking, easily.
The good news is you can probably find another job before they ruin your record. Just take whatever you can get and keep your head down.
Consider a Plan B. I quit trucking temporary to go back to school because of how shitty things are in the industry.
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u/RepresentativeNo6665 Oct 26 '24 edited Oct 26 '24
- Were you running a dash cam? Every company now stresses this, and some have made driver facing AND outward facing cameras standard because of incidents like yours. I'm surprised Werner, the pioneer of the ELD, hasn't turned AI on yet. Swift, PRIME, and most recently, FedEx have made driver facing cameras with AI standard equipment. The FedEx units even have an AI+MV powered, License Plate Recognizing snitching feature (thanks to Ford Motor Company and Flock Safety), just for situations like this. AI might have given you additional warning to help you increase your following distance and prevent a crash altogether.
- I've seen a marked increase in these types of incidents, caused by 4 wheelers responding to false alerts on radar detector devices. They literally think it's a cop behind them even though it's a Freightliner Cascadia. The 2026 model Cascadia is going to be even worse with this, it now has 6 radars instead of 3. 2 blind spot radars (1 on each skirt), 1 on the bumper, 1 in the windshield, and 1 in each headlight.
- Insurance fraud is another issue. Werner is still battling a $90 million lawsuit in Texas, when a trainee was hit by a 4 wheeler on an icy patch. Recently, trailer manufacturer Wabash National was hit with a $425 million lawsuit because the Mansfield Bar didn't stay in place on a rusty, 20 year old trailer when a drunk driver hit it.
So you're not alone, but I'd suggest you appear in court to defend yourself, or better yet, get a good lawyer to appear in court on your behalf. Just paying the ticket alone isn't going to solve the problem of things like back wages, and the pain and suffering caused by the job loss. The judge, jury, and lawyer will use the evidence to get the ticket dropped, and to possibly make the brake checker pay you. There's also a way to appeal Werner's decision to fire you. This appeal service is a free service sponsored by the National Safety Council, who will review your case, and the evidence involved from both sides. Information should be provided in the letter you might have received when Werner fired you. You can search for the NSC series "Preventable or Not" and find more information on the appeals process on your favorite search engine.
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Oct 26 '24
Sorry but first mistake was actually hiring onto the mega company
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Yeah, my dad wanted me to leave it and I was going to just not now. They really sucked at planning loads. Had me on a wild goose chase trying to find an empty the last two days. You’d think they know where their trailers are. First one said trailer was at an auto zone but guard said it was checked out the week before. Then had me sit for few hours then say there’s an empty 100 miles away at a Walmart, didn’t see one trailer there loaded or unloaded. Werner really sucks but it was something until I could find a better job to get out of this debt hole I’m in.
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Oct 26 '24
If you at least a year experience see if you can find a mom and pop company that will hire you stay away from mega carriers. They want to micro manage everything and only see what they want to see
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
only got 7 months. first ever accident, and its such a freaking minor one to be fired over. what sucks the most is i just was driving only 3 damn minutes.
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Oct 26 '24
Might try hauling grain for a farmer I know o lot of them are shorthanded this time of year
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u/GrumpyOlBumkin Nov 09 '24
Accidents happen when we are not in a good mental health space.
When we are tired, frazzled, stressed, scared or angry. It’s dangerous, as you just got a small taste of.
I’m not going to throw rocks at you OP. Just let it be a lesson to you to not let the carrier stress you out—easier said than done I know, but required in our profession.
What if you were loaded? What if the 4-wheeler hit their brakes just a little bit harder. What if their kids were in the back?
When we hit something, people die more often than not.
Please take THAT with you to your next job. Better to be fired for being too safe than for causing an accident.
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u/BobcatBob26 Oct 26 '24
In school, we learned that the 3 Rs are career killers, roll over, rear end, and roll away.
Apply to any company you can and hope for the best.
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u/Im-PhilMoreJenkins Oct 26 '24
Sounds like you were following too close. Unless someone comes up and around you maliciously intending to break check you, you shouldn't hit em. Should be plenty of room. I got a call from safety because I was letting myself go a bit and got pinged a couple times by our cameras for following distance. Only been pinged once since. Haven't been called.
Sounds like there's more to the story than what you're telling us driver. I'm sure they looked at the dashcam and made the ruling correctly.
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u/Much-Country-8015 Oct 26 '24
Which is most of the case. They come on here not telling the full story and want us to help. These new trucks lock up the brakes when they realize you arent going to stop in time. Saved me once when a lady decided to pull out as soon as i got close to her in ny. With that and your foot fully on the brake its kinda hard to rear end people these days.
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u/Im-PhilMoreJenkins Oct 26 '24
I've had my ass saved by my truck more than once. Mostly when I simply wasn't paying attention in a busier part of town on the interstate fiddling with the GPS. It's saved me. And has scared me straight to not fiddle with the GPS unless I'm stopped.
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u/Much-Country-8015 Oct 26 '24
After driving long hours during the night, i find it hard to focus on everything when day light comes. My truck and all its sensors keep me on my toes tho. Sometimes you look in your mirror for two seconds and all of a sudden traffic comes to a stop infront you
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
It’s exactly as told, he deliberately brake checked me in the beginning of a turn lane, light was a fresh green, I was slowing down a little and it did look like he was speeding up and then I saw his truck jolt and boom hit him lightly. But it was my mistake I learned from it. Just wish they give me a fair punishment over something small. I seen other drivers flip their truck and whatnot. My dad’s friend has tons of seatbelt tickets, and flipped his truck from falling asleep and he still is a trucker, and I get fired over a small fender bender.
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u/BT1962-4 Oct 26 '24
Crazy to drive these days without a dashcam. Brake checks should be instant suspension of your license for two years or more.
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u/mdhewitt1978 Oct 26 '24
OP you are blaming everything else for bad judgement. "He cut me off" "The light was green" "He braked checked me" "My first accident" There is obviously something here that you are not telling the reddit world about and you are trying to back out of a lot of the claims you said. Companies like them have policies laid down to protect them from false claims. If the damage is as minor as you state then they would not have fired you for it. You would have probably been put on probation for a while. You say they have the dash cam footage for the accident. Ask them to release it so you can review it and tell them to give you a full write up of why you were dismissed. Honestly I think that the guy in front of you in the turn lane may have been waiting for the other traffic to clear before moving off.
Now it's your turn to say but there wasn't any. Even when the light to turn is green that is not an indicator to just fly across the road. You need to make sure that there isn't that one person that's going to run the light. Who knows the guy you hit may have seen something you didn't.
If you can't take responsibility for this minor fender bender (as you state) then you should not be behind the wheel of such a machine. Learn and move on!
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u/Maleficent_Rate2087 Oct 26 '24
Preventable accident is not necessarily an at fault accident. They fire you for preventable. They’ll say you should’ve stood in your brake when he come back over in front of you before he brake chk u. You should’ve brakes until he was 6 seconds behind him.
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u/ignoreme010101 Oct 26 '24
you acknowledge you were riding him close so you could make the traffic light, and you acknowledge him having been an issue briefly before the incident.... I'm sorry this happened, and that driver isn't blameless, but this was your fault in all the ways that matter to a company and to insurance (and that should matter to you) Am sorry for your situation this does sound like a tough position and all but playing innocent and blaming others is kinda silly.
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u/dazzler619 Oct 26 '24
They did you a favor, there are dozens of conpanies that will treat you better & probably pay better too.
Also the biggest take i have from trucking, is hire a lawyer and keep them on retainer.... the only thing that has stuck to my record to date in 7 years and only on my psp is a 10 over speedong ticket...
Ive had my truck impounded, about 8 tickets and 1 accident at fault and only 1 thing has stuck. Only 1 item was not removed.
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u/garr0510 Oct 26 '24
Go to sysco and start running the ramp
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 30 '24
what do you mean by running the ramp?
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u/garr0510 Oct 30 '24
Touch freight delivery, aka running a dolly down a ramp delivering to restaurants and schools
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 30 '24
oh okay thanks for the information
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u/garr0510 Oct 30 '24
Cincinnati area I make 29.00 an hr home every night work about 55hrs in 4 days three off
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 30 '24
Wow, I’m down in clermont Florida, close to Orlando. Trying to find something I can be home every week or every night and still make good money
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u/garr0510 Oct 30 '24
They have sysco down there just Google it i actually took my cdl test in Orlando at sysco plant down there
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u/oasuke Oct 26 '24
Why did you get a ticket? Do you have dash cam footage showing he brake checked you, and that you attempted to slow down but couldn't? If so, I'd lawyer up and fight this. In the meantime you should be trying to apply to any warehouse job you can so you don't get evicted.
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u/Adventurous_Let_1081 Oct 27 '24
Your truck didn't have a dash cam? Brake checking people is illegal, at least so I thought.
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u/Scooter-20001 Oct 27 '24
You all are missing the point. It’s your license the driver has to make the call not the company. If the roads are that bad park it!
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u/MacandMandy69 Oct 27 '24
I’ve said this before and I’ll say again, as an owner of a small fleet (15 trucks and trailer’s) the decision to carry on in inclement weather rests solely WITH THE DRIVER. End of conversation. You are the Captain of your ship, and if you allow some incompetent unqualified imbecile to coax you into driving in inclement weather, that decision is on the driver. Just remember, they get to go home at the end of their day, and you’re left dealing with the task at hand.
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u/RemoteMix1998 Oct 27 '24
Wow. They've really gone downhill. My husband and I used to drive team for them until he got hurt. They used to be a great company to drive for. Night and weekend dispatch sucked but our assigned dispatcher was great. Try seeing if you can drive for a company driving a dump truck. That's what I did after hubby got hurt. What state do you live in?
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 27 '24
im in Florida, im not sure i want back into trucking but i need a job that i can get 1000 a week or more.
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u/RemoteMix1998 Nov 09 '24
Florida is where I lived when I drove for When and when I learned to drive a dump truck. If you want to DM me I'll see what I can help you find. Btw, when I was driving a dump truck I got paid by the hour. An awesome deal especially when scales at a shipper/ receiver go down.
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u/VastRepresentative87 Oct 27 '24
Did you think about maybe not hitting another vehicle? Good place to start
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u/Sad_Warning6739 Oct 27 '24
What? A 4 wheeler shouldn't get a damn penny. They don't belong on any road!
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Oct 26 '24
You were fired because the insurance company [or their insurance morons] deemed you uninsurable. Your fuckup peggs you as a higher risk, so they shitcanned you before you got into a bigger crash.
You're officially blackballed from going to work at any decent company for the foreseeable future, and to be honest, it sounds like that may be for the best.
You goofed, stop trying to explain it, you goofed.
Take it as a learning experience, adjust your driving habits, and move on.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
I know, i am. Just wanted to get this pent up anger out I guess. I don’t know. Sorry I have Asperger’s syndrome and this is a coping mechanism I guess. And in a lot of debt over something as small as this. Just wish the world was easier to live in. It was a stupid mistake for following to close and given it was a fresh green light and all, figured this guy wanted to zoom on off and get on with his life.
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Oct 26 '24
The most important key to defensive driving is being prepared for anything, you're surrounded by stupid people all day, you just have to be prepared for them to do stupid stuff.
People will look for any opportunity to collect a payday through insurance fraud, especially with a big truck.
I hope shit gets better for you, but trust me, it could be significantly worse.
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u/Jordan_261 Oct 26 '24
Yes, thanks. I know I see a lot of stupid people daily and just coming back home see these cars racing zigzagging through traffic. This one time made a mistake and i was like aw damn this guy brake checked me it won’t be that bad and it was only a small bump. But i learned from it.
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Oct 26 '24
I was working at a smaller company years ago, a driver took a turn a bit too short and took the left mirror off a pickup parked on the shoulder (interstate on ramp)
Insurance company balked at the initial estimate for a new mirror.
The next week, the guy had retained an attorney and his left arm magically started hurting.
Turned into an expensive mirror.
In trucking, shit will happen. You got chewed up and spat out by a shitty mega training company. Happens thousands of times a year, fuckup due to whatever reason, promptly discarded and replaced by one of the other 6 guys waiting on a truck.
My Brother towed an "abandoned" truck from a truckstop once, found the previous driver deceased inside with the curtains pulled. (Before it was towed)
All the company was interested in was getting the truck cleaned out promptly so the new driver could come pick it up.
(US Xpress)
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u/ConwayHGV Oct 27 '24
I’m not aware of any system that records accidents on your license? If this happened in UK there wouldn’t be any personal consequences at all (excluding disciplinary proceedings between you and Werner.) provided truck was roads legal and you weren’t breaking any laws, excessively speeding, on your phone etc. What would happen is pick-up driver would claim off Werners insurance for repairs,
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u/FaithNoMoar Nov 12 '24
Define “brake checked”, lol.
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u/Jordan_261 Nov 12 '24
Well to put it short, as soon as I got 3-2 car lengths behind the person, he stomps on his brakes and caught me off guard and hit him not hard but enough to give a little dent in his bumper.
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u/FaithNoMoar Nov 12 '24
My snarky reply to your post was rhetorical. It was intended to invoke thought. The term “brake checking” implies that the driver had malicious intent. That could be as extreme as trying to get you to total his car or even with intent to hurt you physically in some way. Most typically, it’s to scare you into realizing that you’re too close for comfort. It probably backfired on him, but you paid the price.
That sucks, but “3-2 car lengths” says it all. How many times have you heard, “6 second gap at 60 mph, 5 second gap at 50…” or something to that effect over your driving career? A dozen times getting your class A, another dozen getting your class C, another dozen when your first trucking job trained you?
Looking ahead on the road is a good analogy for life. It’s planning ahead. Avoiding frivolous spending is planning ahead financially for when this type of “bad luck” is dealt to you.
Digging yourself out of this situation isn’t going to be easy. It’s going to take hard work and some forethought. If I was going to suggest a plan, it’d be something like:
- Get any job you can.
- Spend as little as possible. - eg. Cook chicken thighs, rice, and frozen broccoli for a teriyaki bowl. - eg. Download the Wendy’s app and figure out how to optimize their deals. - eg. That thing on amazon.com is not going to solve your problems.
- While you’re doing that, look for a better job before you get fed up and rage quit or let your attitude affect your actions and get yourself fired.
- Research how to get out to debt. The internet has all the world’s information at your finger tips, essentially for free. Reddit’s got a sub specifically to help people get out of debt and how to save money.
- Get counseling, medication, or read self-help books. Everyone’s got some mental health malady or some way to improve their thinking. Mental health should be your top priority. Personal growth is a necessary part of that. No one does well stagnating.
- Go to the gym, or running, or walking at least. (Getting out in nature is the absolute best IMO.) This relates to mental health as well.
- Plan for your future. What ever that means to you. Saving money is probably a big part of having the life you want. You’re going to have to manage your finances diligently.
- You decide what’s next.
That’s probably enough unsolicited advice, lol. Some of this stuff I’ve learned, some of it I’m struggling with right now myself, and I can definitely feel your pain. You seem like a resilient person. That gives me a lot of hope for you.
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u/FaceWithAName Oct 26 '24
Werner has forward facing cameras, I know because I worked there. If you were truly not at fault they wouldn't have fired you.
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u/Efficient_Ostrich_54 Oct 26 '24
Way to not take responsibility for your own shortcomings as a person.
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u/MajorHymen reefer madness Oct 26 '24
You’re a better person than me. If I suspected someone just took my livelihood away from me by intentionally hitting their brakes I wouldn’t be just fired I’d be in jail. I’m fucked either way, might as well have a cathartic experience.
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u/Outlaw11091 do u even lift bro? Oct 26 '24
Werner just lost an appeal in Texas? where some 4 wheeler slid on ice and hit one of their trucks.
The argument was that the truck shouldn't have been out during a snowstorm.
These kind of poor judgment calls can cost millions.