Funny Rookie Mistakes?

Everyone screws up especially when new. So my question is... tell us a funny rookie mistake please?

I accidentally hit the corner of a parked trailer by not swinging wide enough (I still had my permit) no damage was done to the other trailer, ours had a scrape. Trailer re-build told me it was no big deal and only took 10 min to fix. I was hysterical, and scared Prime was going to fire me. When I talked to a student friend she asked, "Is that all you hit? I hit a toll booth, a stop sign, and jumped a couple curbs." Couldn't help to bust out laughing.

I worked for the USPS for a couple decades and know that the drivers hit trailers so often they are now restricted from parking next to each other in the Delaware Processing Plant. They park every other space-- no lie, its true.

Other than that... my trainer told me to turn into a truck stop and i didn't cause it said "Trucks Exit Here". I didn't want to go the wrong way lol. He told me to make the next right and then another right to circle back--- but instead it turned into a single lane residential street through a corn field. It looked like a stephen king movie lol.

I don't know if the guy was a rookie or not but a few months ago someone forgot to set his parking brake at one of our terminals and totaled the truck. Here's the funny part. He was promptly issued another one and sent right back out to work.

SkarHed wrote:

I don't know if the guy was a rookie or not but a few months ago someone forgot to set his parking brake at one of our terminals and totaled the truck. Here's the funny part. He was promptly issued another one and sent right back out to work.

Sorry but this is very difficult to believe (unless there is more to the story) and at least to me, not even close to being funny, more like ridiculous. This could have killed people as the truck silently rolled and flattened everything in it's path. Why your employer would ignore this and put the driver in a truck and back on the road is irresponsible. If the driver was that "checked-out" for this to happen once, it could happen again. Furthermore, your company's insurance provider is likely to take issue with this and force them to release this driver. Someone has to pay for the wrecked truck and that would include the reason it happened and holding said driver accountable.

SkarHed wrote:

I don't know if the guy was a rookie or not but a few months ago someone forgot to set his parking brake at one of our terminals and totaled the truck. Here's the funny part. He was promptly issued another one and sent right back out to work.

Sorry but this is very difficult to believe (unless there is more to the story) and at least to me, not even close to being funny, more like ridiculous. This could have killed people as the truck silently rolled and flattened everything in it's path. Why your employer would ignore this and put the driver in a truck and back on the road is irresponsible. If the driver was that "checked-out" for this to happen once, it could happen again. Furthermore, your company's insurance provider is likely to take issue with this and force them to release this driver. Someone has to pay for the wrecked truck and that would include the reason it happened and holding said driver accountable.

No need to apologize..believe what you like. I am very tolerant of dissenting views. Yes I suppose there was more to the story. There usually is when the story is 3 sentences long.

Mr Hed wrote:

No need to apologize..believe what you like. I am very tolerant of dissenting views. Yes I suppose there was more to the story. There usually is when the story is 3 sentences long.

I believe what is believable, not what appears to be made up for effect. No need to respond...not interested.

Was at the Petro in Rochelle Illinois, dropped my trailer to put truck into the shop for oil change etc. Was dark when I pulled out and went back to hook up my trailer........jumped the kingpin over the skid plate.......no air drop switch in my suspension, 40,000 lbs in the box.....landing gear was not moving.....crawled in my truck, went to sleep....let it drop over night and pulled out with out anyone noticing!

Was at the Petro in Rochelle Illinois, dropped my trailer to put truck into the shop for oil change etc. Was dark when I pulled out and went back to hook up my trailer........jumped the kingpin over the skid plate.......no air drop switch in my suspension, 40,000 lbs in the box.....landing gear was not moving.....crawled in my truck, went to sleep....let it drop over night and pulled out with out anyone noticing!

Hahhah

I went through the ez pass 3xpr3ss in Indiana and Ohio.. you go 55 mph and fly thru it. So goi g thru wash DC my yrainer was asleep and I saw EX pass express. .... uh.. trainer jumped up screaming "this is not a truck route" cost her $70 in tolls

I was just glad no one seemed to notice us at 3am lol

My first load we dropped at Amazon in Phoenix AR. Went to hook up to a empty and the trailer brakes wouldn't release so I messed around with the lines changed the glad hand gasket still wouldn't release.. I go and hook to another empty and same thing... Its 3 in the morning I'm tired and the yard dog comes over and says color coated for a reason.. Lol not my finest hour but we got a good laugh out of it...

Hahha.. I did sorta that with the tandem weight gaige. I was pushing and pushong..thought it was frozen. Was 3pm... my nap time cause I drive nights lol

Trainer was like "uh.... pull?" Duh

My very first solo load for Prime knocked a door off a trailer, thought I would be fired for sure. If you are just getting started you will never get to know the hell that the Kraft yard in Champaign IL used to be.

I picked up at the caves in Springfield with no issues but I only backed three or four times in training so while I knew the theory on how to back I hadn't done much of it. I get to Champaign and the yard is sheer chaos. There are trailers dropped everywhere you could think of and even the old pros are *****ing about it.

I navigate the maze and I had what would be considered a difficult back for an experienced trucker. Alley dock around the corner of a building and there are trailers where they shouldn't be making it worse. I'm struggling bad and feel like hanging myself in the truck, and one of the old pros comes over and helps me get docked. Really nice guy that gave me some great advice.

Well I slammed the dock pretty hard due to my inexperience and while I didn't realize it I had compromised the hinges on the trailer. My next load is a preload at the same yard so I go to drop my now empty trailer and they have you drop with doors open. Trailer has wings and now has bad hinges and when I'm pulling onto a gravel lot from pavement on their property there is a several inch drop and when the tandems go over I hear a loud clang. Look in my passenger side mirror and the door is on the ground suspended by the chain where it's still hooked to the trailer.

Those doors are ridiculously heavy if you ever have to put one in your box...