Profile For Nighthawk35

I always saw trucks in the ditch and wonder what happened. I have since learned it doesn’t take much to end up there. I totally agree that we should drive within our levels.

On the day of my accident, I made the mistake of being influenced by others driving faster than I was. Against my own thoughts that it was time to slow it down, I hesitated because others were flying by me. Literally minutes later after not acting on my thoughts to slow down I was in the median truck laying on the passenger side, dangling in the driver seat, only saved by the seatbelt worrying is my fiancé ok and was anyone else hurt. Terrible feeling!

Those drivers were probably fully loaded meaning better traction, not hauling doubles, and likely more familiar with the road than I was among other things. Had I been driving within the parameters of what was safe for me and not those other drivers, I probably wouldn’t be in this thread looking for advice and trying to find a job.

Great input on the subject matter, I appreciate the feedback!

Rainy there are plenty of loads on load boards, problem is they don’t pay much. Right now with my situation I run 1 broker load a week. I have been very blessed the ones I have been getting have paid decent.

We all see trucks and others in the ditch regularly. That is on the driver, in my opinion. and the direct result of a poor choice. I’ve heard all kinds of various excuses over time. Nothing is worth taking that risk. We all have different levels of experience. Always drive within your level, not someone else’s!!

Davy you make a very good point and I’m glad you did. I am definitely guilty of having that false sense of pressure that I have to try to run unless the company shuts me down. As team drivers who started out in the early spring the company pushed service time to us but when the winter time came they pushed safety first but I never let go of that mentality of trying to be a “runner”. Big mistake in the winter.

I always heard that if you don’t run in the snow and ice you won’t make any money in the winter from those same types of conversations you mentioned about being tough and running no matter what. I bought in to that crap and look at me now, not able to make money at all because I didn’t know when to fold. It’s not worth the risk at all.

Now that I’m going through this situation I realize that I’d still have a job if I didn’t have that mentality. Sure some loads would get there late but worst case is they fire me for not meeting service requirements. My driving record would still be in tack and I could go get another job with ease.

I hate that I had to have an accident to grasp the the thought process that you have but I’m glad I’m alive to learn better. If given a second chance I will always exercise extreme caution to protect myself and others on the road. As my dad told me after my accident, “the winter is dangerous you should be shutdown quite often when there is adverse weather. You’ll make plenty of money in the warmer months but you have to survive the winter to get to them.”

Thanks for your feedback it has helped me and hopefully someone else who reads the thread.

I'm glad this topic came to light because it shines a light on something I see a lot with new drivers at our terminal (Denver). That is the feeling that they need to run in all weather.

Periodically, I'll hear comments or see posts (not here) that display a mindset that portrays that you must be tough and get out and run in the snow and ice, no matter what.

It's directly opposed to what our safety department and training says, which is to consider safety first and foremost and to shut down well ahead of adverse weather. To be constantly aware of potentially hazardous conditions.

I intentionally chose, and still do, to avoid snow, ice and high winds if I can. And I do so by a large margin. Perhaps I error on the side of caution, but I think that the skills and ability to read the road conditions come slowly and shouldn't be a result of trial and error, because the error portion can be a career ender or a life ended.

I'm definitely for exploring and developing skills in a somewhat controlled environment like a snowy parking lot or open area, but not in a production setting on the road.

To a certain extent, I have this situation coming up tomorrow. I'll likely choose to sit this next storm out and the few days after out. Again, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I agree. I’m currently applying to all the companies that utilize driver pulse by Tenstreet because it is streamlined and I don’t have to enter redundant information on each application. My next step is so just as you recommend and hit all of the smaller companies, mom/pops, and Craigslist/Facebook advertisements and hope I can have a conversation with someone so they can see my sincerity that I learned my lesson and can be a safe driver for them.

From all of the companies I applied to so far half of them was a flat out no because of the rollover. The other half said they can likely work around the rollover accident but the careless driving was the deciding factor in their decision to say no. Most of them told me to reapply after If I’m able to get the careless driving reduced to or non moving violation or dismissed altogether. The lawyer hired makes no guarantees but is confident that he can get it dismissed based on his experience in the court that will hear my case. He’s won 16/17 cases there. I’m praying he can because as you said so far that’s been my biggest hurdle.

I try to always have a good attitude and be accountable for my actions. Thank you for the feedback and kind words.

You might even have to start beating the pavement by going to smaller companies that don’t advertise much, or at all. Getting to talk to an owner in person might produce something. All they can do is say no, but at least it gives you the opportunity to ask if they know of anyone else to talk to.

Probably your greatest hurtle is that careless driving citation. That’s a deal breaker not necessarily with all trucking companies, but probably their insurance companies who control who gets hired and fired. Fight to get that reduced to something less serious. Get a lawyer with experience in handling citations like yours. Good luck, you have a good attitude.

Your words are encouraging I have been applying to companies in spurts every day. For some reason the driver pulse app won’t allow me to complete task the companies are requesting at the moment. This is a small setback adding to the height of the mountain I am trying to climb already. I have gotten plenty of rejection but I’m not letting that discourage me.

Thanks for your kind words and advice!

Using this site and the Driver Pulse app by Tenstreet, I would apply at every company possible. You may get a bite, but I would say to expect all rejections for quite a while. Time will heal that ding to your record. In the meantime, apply everywhere, keep CDL active, keep your med cert up-to-date, and keep your record clean from this point.

I think that is a very good idea to train with an experienced driver during the winter. I would definitely pitch that to a company willing to hear me out. I doubt the company that terminated me would renege on that decision to give me more training but I’m not above asking.

I will add Pam to my list of companies to apply. Thank you for your feed back.

School means nothing. Negotiate for a longer training period with that particular company. It's winter. Stay in training the whole winter.

Try Pam also. They took someone from the forum who messed up. We had a driver who rolled a log truck and got a job again.

It does help! I could pitch a company that if they guaranteed they’ll hire me once I finished that I would go back to school. It’s a long shot and I don’t see anyone biting but it’s definitely thinking outside the box. I’ve got nothing to lose at this point.

Thanks for your feedback!

would going back to school help at all with job prospects?

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't waste the money on a school unless a company puts in writing that it'll guarantee you a job. I graduated from a private driving school and I doubt there's anything taught there that would make you more attentive or better equipped to avoid the same situation in the future.

I hope this helps.

I was with Covenant. You make a good point about taking a pay cut. I wouldn’t expect anything less. The most important thing to me is proving that I can be a safe driver. We fell in love with the lifestyle, money will come, plus we don’t have many expenses at less than $1000 month.

I do plan to fight the careless driving citation. I will be speaking with the legal service plan that I paid into with Covenant. I feel confident that I can win.

I will also look into Trans am. Thanks for the feedback!

What company were you with? I'd also add Trans Am to the list to check out. There are companies that will hire you with a rollover but you're going to likely make less than you previously were. Did you fight the careless citation? If all else fails check Craigslist.

Yes, I was so close to that year mark but back at square one now. I’m in agreement with you on both insurance and the freight market at the moment. Might be a dumb question but would going back to school help at all with job prospects?

I’ll apply to all of the companies you listed. Thanks for your feedback!

I think it will be extremely difficult to impossible to find insurance to start your own company. 10 months accident free is a nice start but it is really nothing in the grand scheme, plus it was all canceled out with the roll over. Honestly, it would be a really bad time to start out on your own anyway given the market.

I would keep applying at 2nd chance companies, such as CR England, CRST, Western Express, Dutch Maid Logistics, Central Transport. Hopefully one of them will bite.

What company were you with? I'd also add Trans Am to the list to check out. There are companies that will hire you with a rollover but you're going to likely make less than you previously were. Did you fight the careless citation? If all else fails check Craigslist.

I was recently terminated by my company after I had a rollover accident and careless driving citation. Firstly, I thank God that I didn’t hurt/kill anyone and no one else was involved! Secondly, I am thankful my fiancé and I made it out alive and had no injuries.

I hit a patch of black ice and lost control of the truck. I was hauling two pups and they were extremely light (9,000 in the lead, 7,000 in the rear) and traveling about 65mph in a 75 mph speed limit zone. Road conditions were wet and the temperature dropped from about 38 to about 31 degrees. I had driven the speed limit through these conditions plenty of times with no problems, and this time I was the slowest truck and vehicle on the interstate. Based on my 10 months of CDL driving experience I thought everything was fine. I had done a proper pretrip, trip planned, I was well rested, I wasn’t driving distracted, I also stopped to check weather reports and road conditions about 60 miles before the accident. I understand the severity of an accident like this and take full accountability for the accident. Im actually embarrassed that I was so negligent and wasn’t even aware of it at the time. In retrospect I should have been driving AT LEAST 1/3 of the speed limit less/slower than the posted speed limit and eventually stopping at the nearest safe haven. Maybe even traveled at half of the speed limit to account for how light my trailers were. I learned a hard lesson In situational awareness as a professional driver I should have been more aware of conditions.

I completely understand the decision to terminate me. I was going to just hang it up and do something else. After reading a few threads here about second chances I decided not to give up just yet. My fiancé and I gave up our home and jobs to start a career in trucking. We love the lifestyle and really don’t want to do anything else. I learned so much from my mistakes that I feel like a safer driver because of this experience. With that said, I decided to make an account to ask a question that I hadn’t seen asked or answered. Hopefully this helps someone else in the future as well.

The Question: If no company will give me a chance, could we get insured for an authority with a rollover on my MVR/DAC/PSP and a careless driving citation?

My fiancé’s driving record is clean and she also has 10 months of experience. We both have doubles/triples, tanker, and hazmat endorsements.

Starting our own authority isn’t our first choice but we are considering it if it’s an option and if no one will hire me or allow us to lease on. We are blessed to have saved up a decent amount of cash from our time otr and some family and friends willing to loan/gift us some cash to get us started if necessary. We are also willing to live in the truck to to offset high insurance premiums that’ll likely come with my newly damaged driving record.

We’re open to any advice or alternative ideas. Even the condescending comments are welcome. I know I screwed up, just looking to move forward. Thanks in advance to those who will give constructive criticism and advice.

God bless!