Still A Rookie

I feel like a dumb***. I KNOW better. In my defense, it was dark and a hundred others must've done the same cuz the curb almost doesn't exist anymore in that one spot and the ruts are two feet deep, but my philosophy is still "there's NO GOOD REASON to hit a fixed object... and a curb is as good a fixed object as any. I crossed it anyway. And killed my driver side front tandem push rod. Killed it dead. After i checked out the damage, i got parked safely, took some pics, then took a couple minutes to get my head back together (yeah i mourned a little, not sure if for the push rod or losing my 'virginity'), and called my company. I won't be fired, thank God, but I'll definitely beat myself up for awhile. I have three years experience and don't allow myself to get comfortable or complacent. I'm in a new truck so I'm definitely not comfortable yet!. Until today, I've never hit anything. But my focus was more on where i was going than where i was at. And there lays my biggest error. I still get panicky sometimes at customers, especially if they're small and I'm unfamiliar with the area around them. I had to find street parking, go through a roundabout, and couldn't see a place to safely park. And i couldn't look at the maps to see which roads would take me around the block. I HAD looked at the area, but i hadn't looked beyond this area because i knew...ha!... that I'd be able to park on the street if they couldn't put me in a dock. Another error. Dang it, i know better!

Hope y'all have a great week! Thanks for letting me vent a little.

Note....Flowers can be sent to the local trailer hospital.

Good lesson for everyone on situational awareness. Glad it wasn’t a worse outcome for you, Phoenix.

Thanks Packrat...for reading and responding. Although i related my mishap with humor, i did, and do, not take it lightly. Humor just helped me cope. I'm saddened you're the only one to respond, but thankful.

I don't understand why I'm a pariah here, but it's pretty obvious i am. So I'll just go back to lurking.

Drive safe y'all!!

You are not a Pariah! You just seem to show up randomly, and because of that most people in here don't even know who you are or know your history in here.

I started to respond to this the other day, but I was so busy, I never got back to it. It's always great to hear from you! I'm really proud of you for the way you've stuck it out. It would be great if you'd participate more. I know that you've been through so many of the problems and issues that other rookies have, therefore your advice and tips would be welcome here.

You are not a Pariah! You just seem to show up randomly, and because of that most people in here don't even know who you are or know your history in here.

I started to respond to this the other day, but I was so busy, I never got back to it. It's always great to hear from you! I'm really proud of you for the way you've stuck it out. It would be great if you'd participate more. I know that you've been through so many of the problems and issues that other rookies have, therefore your advice and tips would be welcome here.

Thank you, Old School!

My randomness is totally due to any free time being devoted to homefront issues. It's been an extremely stressful three years for us. Any chance I've had to read in the forums, (which admittedly has been rare), I'm afraid I've drifted off to sleep or ran out of time to respond to anyone. So i completely understand where you're coming from.

I recommend this site every chance i get, but I'll try to participate more...

Uh... yeah... stop in and see us once in awhile. Somehow i missed this until it popped up higher.

so... HI!!! ::waves::

We all do stupid stuff from time to time. Big deal.. get over it. If i posted every rookie move i made, you would all laugh. the important thing is that i now know how to fix it.

Phoenix, it really is great to hear from you. I completely understand about your time. We've all got our own situations to deal with, and there's only so much of us to go around. You just keep popping in when you can. Those of us who've been around awhile know who you are - we're always glad to hear from you!

There's something we always try to say and reinforce in here:

You may not always get replies to something you post, but you can be assured that many many people are reading and learning from everything written in here, for years to come.

Sometimes we just get busy, and threads slip through the cracks. Don't sweat it.

The fact you been driving 3 years and only have this recent incident is pretty good. Great lesson for everybody to remember to pay attention to what they're doing and if you need to pull over to figure out where you are then so be it.

As far as feeling like a pariah old school is spot on (as always). Many members here come and go, unfortunately they don't stick around to help others get started in this industry. I'm sure you've noticed there's not many people left here from when you used to frequent the forums. Life happens, however we'll always be here for you but many times threads get overlooked. It may be a variety of reasons but usually its somebody spreading false information in different threads that we're most focused on to ensure those most vulnerable (those considering a career) dont make a decision based on lies. I seen this and packrat said nearly word for word what I would've responded. I can promise you that a ton of people will learn valuable lesson off what you posted. We would love for you to be around more often, however we understand your time off is valuable

Okay, I've tried to respond to y'all three times now, and backed out when i had to set my phone down, so i give up lol.

Lol Hi Rainy!! : waves