Accidents

Ok, after reading a recent post on here about fender benders I'm curious, how many accidents does it take to get fired? I've read some things that indicate a driver may have had two or three before being axed, and I've read some that say "you get into one accident and you're done". I'm sure it has everything to do with who's at fault,etc but am I missing something?

Given the fact that there are ALOT of miles put on a big rig that the odds of an accident have to be up there...right?

Thanks!

Ok, after reading a recent post on here about fender benders I'm curious, how many accidents does it take to get fired? I've read some things that indicate a driver may have had two or three before being axed, and I've read some that say "you get into one accident and you're done". I'm sure it has everything to do with who's at fault,etc but am I missing something?

Given the fact that there are ALOT of miles put on a big rig that the odds of an accident have to be up there...right?

Thanks!

Situational is how I can sum it up. It all depends on the environment in which it happened and the severity of the accident. Is it a tire blow out from curbing a tight turn that you had no choice but to take or did you run over an entire light pole and damaged the trailer? You'll most likely get a few passes on light accidents that don't get reported or ticketed but as soon as you do something that warrants an Officer having to come out, best start unpacking your truck unless you got a good long work history with the Carrier.

Ok, after reading a recent post on here about fender benders I'm curious, how many accidents does it take to get fired? I've read some things that indicate a driver may have had two or three before being axed, and I've read some that say "you get into one accident and you're done". I'm sure it has everything to do with who's at fault,etc but am I missing something?

Given the fact that there are ALOT of miles put on a big rig that the odds of an accident have to be up there...right?

Thanks!

Situational is how I can sum it up. It all depends on the environment in which it happened and the severity of the accident. Is it a tire blow out from curbing a tight turn that you had no choice but to take or did you run over an entire light pole and damaged the trailer? You'll most likely get a few passes on light accidents that don't get reported or ticketed but as soon as you do something that warrants an Officer having to come out, best start unpacking your truck unless you got a good long work history with the Carrier.

Thanks Driver...makes perfect sense

Hey Jimbo,

The company I drive for has a point system. At 0 you are done. You can accrue no more than 12 at any time. A rookie will start with 8 points. If he/she attends a safety class, they will gain 2 for each one attended.

Just like Driver said, the severity makes a difference on how points will be taken. At the company I drive for, anything over $400 worth of damage is an automatic 2. If it was preventable, you lose 2 more. If there is a contributing factor which resulted in breaking the law, 2 more are taken. If there is injury or death as a result of the law being broken, 2 more are gone and so are you. Now, if you had 10 or 12 points then you would still be employed with the company but not driving. They would acknowledge that you tried and made a huge mistake and would try to help you by letting you work on the dock or whatever until you were able to reestablish the trust lost.

Like RT is describing, it depends on the company. The company I just left, had a point system from 0 to 12 but they also had you answer to "near accidents" too. There's an in-cab camera that records you in the cab at all times. Suddenly hitting the brakes hard would set off the camera because maybe you were suddenly avoiding an accident. If a "bump" sets off the camera, it will save the recording 4 seconds before the bump and 8 seconds after the bump. If you are in an accident that involved what they called "willful" violation of their rules you were in deep trouble and had very little recourse. A willful violation was: covering the camera so it couldn't record you, driving over 65mph on the freeway or 15 miles over the speed limit, having a personal electronic device in your hand ...things like that. Dropping a trailer in the yard got you into huge trouble. Dropping a trailer after you'd left the yard was an automatic firing, no questions asked.

It's like Old School has said many times. In your first year there are 3 main things to remember: Don't hit anything, don't hit anything, and ...don't hit anything.

-mountain girl

Hi jimbo, my company i used to work for had this rule, 3 incidents in a yr and your gone, or just one that involves a ticket and your done, i had 2 incidents and a 3rd that was a ticket so i got fired same day i got the ticket and shipped home on a bus from pa to GA 3 hrs later that they paid for, company was Werner

Wow...i guess it varies and apparently there's little tolerance. Not surprising...thanks everyone