Advice On Where To Apply Or Give Up

Hello, I would appreciate some help from you experienced guys on where to apply or if I should look for other work, I have been Driving since Sep 2021, I was recently in and Accident and was summarily terminated. Accident Details Rear end another Semi. It was written in the police report as unable to stop in safe distance. I was not cited State and Federally Reportable Minor Injuries Self Other Driver No Apparent Injuries Mine was Towed His Drove Away DAC Report Has me as Not Rehireable Rear End Accident Preventable Work History Unsatisfactory Saftey Record Other Then Above Clean Driving Record Clean Drug Record

It took them nearly a month to terminate me as they couldnt find where I broke company policy or any laws. In the end the explanation I recieved for why I was because it was a Disqualifying event. Which the DAC looks much worse in my opinion then that. I enjoy Driving and I believe I am decent at it, its unfortunate that this may end my career.

Might help to give a detailed explanation of how you caused this rear-end collision. Distracted? Not enough following distance? Etc.

I don’t know if that would enable anyone to advise you, but at least it would serve as a warning example.

The accident came down to me not reacting in time. I was probably 8 seconds behind the semi infront of me, he changed lanes and from infront of him appeared a very slow moving semi. Not able to change lanes and I didnt realise how slow he was going until it was to late. When I look back an analysis what I did wrong the thing I did wrong was not get on the brakes fast enough.

Welcome Jay, before I address the crash I see you just joined us. You’ve been driving 16 months so your at a stage of your career that can be a bit dangerous. Enough experience to feel comfortable in most situations, and possibly develop some bad habits.

The crash is listed on your DAC correctly. It is DOT reportable because of an injury and a tow away. That goes against yours and the company’s CSA score. The fact law enforcement elected to not cite you really has no importance, other than you were very lucky. I will bet the collision report will state the primary collision factor is driving to fast for existing conditions against you.

The company taking time to fully investigate the matter tells me they gave you the benifit of the doubt until they got all the factual information gathered and reviewed. This crash no doubt is costing the company a great deal of money all total. I would really like to see dash cam footage. My guess is you were either totally distracted or much closer than you think you were. 8 seconds behind the one that moved over plus 70 plus feet more to the back of the slow mover. Alot of space in that description. Your statement sounds too me like you are minimizing the collision and looking to assign blame elsewhere, at least in part.

Just based on your statement of what happened, I feel your a big liability risk, and apparently your safety dept felt so also.

Apply everywhere and be honest about the situation and be prepared to accept the responsibilty. You tell an employer yeah I hit it, but wasn’t my fault completly you will not find another job. Own it for what it is and tell new prespective employers what you have learned from it, maybe someone will give you a try.

It sounds like you are taking ownership for the accident without trying to make excuses for your own mistake.

I think you will be able to find another employer. It may take some time, but I think you should be able to convince a company out there that you have learned from this. One thing that I will mention, just as a driving suggestion for all, when another vehicle, especially another large truck, begins signaling to move over, anticipate that it's because of a slow vehicle in front. With that anticipation, you can slow down 3-5 mph. That small amount of speed reduction actually decreases your stopping distance dramatically. What this is basically doing is giving yourself more time, in case you do have to reduce speed significantly. You don't want to initially slow down more than 3-5 mph because other drivers, 4-wheels mostly, may start doing unpredictable things in moving around you.

As far as where to apply, look at 2nd chance companies. You will be able to get some idea of which companies by typing "2nd chance" into the search bar on this site.

Welcome Jay, before I address the crash I see you just joined us. You’ve been driving 16 months so your at a stage of your career that can be a bit dangerous. Enough experience to feel comfortable in most situations, and possibly develop some bad habits.

The crash is listed on your DAC correctly. It is DOT reportable because of an injury and a tow away. That goes against yours and the company’s CSA score. The fact law enforcement elected to not cite you really has no importance, other than you were very lucky. I will bet the collision report will state the primary collision factor is driving to fast for existing conditions against you.

The company taking time to fully investigate the matter tells me they gave you the benifit of the doubt until they got all the factual information gathered and reviewed. This crash no doubt is costing the company a great deal of money all total. I would really like to see dash cam footage. My guess is you were either totally distracted or much closer than you think you were. 8 seconds behind the one that moved over plus 70 plus feet more to the back of the slow mover. Alot of space in that description. Your statement sounds too me like you are minimizing the collision and looking to assign blame elsewhere, at least in part.

Just based on your statement of what happened, I feel your a big liability risk, and apparently your safety dept felt so also.

Apply everywhere and be honest about the situation and be prepared to accept the responsibilty. You tell an employer yeah I hit it, but wasn’t my fault completly you will not find another job. Own it for what it is and tell new prespective employers what you have learned from it, maybe someone will give you a try.

PJ thanks for replying, I understand where your coming from. The speed as a contributing factor wasnt listed in the report, the hazardous action listed is unable to stop is assured clear distance. I understand it's my fault. My question is with who or where should I apply. Or should I just call it quits because no company will touch me. As I understand it My DAC looks terrible to most companies especially because of my lack of experience, If you know the one thing that bothered me was that for work history they listed Unsatisfactory Saftey Record. Is that entirly because of the accident?

PJ sorry for the double comment, the only reason I brought up the timeline was because the safety director explicitly told me they took that long because I didnt break any company policies or get any moving violations. I believe it came down to the fact that it was a rear end accident. My Fleet Manager had me doing stuff the whole time moving trailers on the yard, running trucks to kenworth etc. He said he was surprised they terminated me. Regardless now that I am I was wondering about my prospects for the future.

It looks to me like they went through and through the incident and probably took that long to get alot of the numbers on the cost. In the end the cost and liability was more than they were willing to move forward with. The old risk vs reward system.

You haven’t said how big or small this company is. Big ones are self insured and smaller ones aren’t. Insurance companies dictate alot to us, one being if they will cover a driver. I have known several drivers that were fired because the insurance company denied them.

Apply everywhere and see if someone will give you a shot. It’s an uphill battle but if you want it bad enough it is worth fighting for. You will no doubt end up in a company with lower pay, but only for awhile. Once time has passed and you haven’t had anymore issues it will open more doors for you.

Finding a job with a second chance company isn't an exact science. I can't give you a name and guarantee 100% that the company will hire you. That said, the following companies are more likely to take a chance on you:

American Trucking Group

CR England

CRST

Dutch Maid Logistics

Western Express

Wiley Sanders

If all else fails, try Craigslist.