My Driving Career is Over Due to One Minor Incident - Seeking Help and Support
Posted by Jordan_261@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 58 comments
Hey everyone,
I really need to share my story and, hopefully, get some advice or support from this community. I’ve been driving for about 7 months now and had a clean record—safety has always been my top priority. Unfortunately, everything changed after one minor incident that has turned my life upside down.
While I was driving for Werner, I got too close to another vehicle and ended up rear-ending them. It was a minor bump, nothing serious, but because of that, Werner deemed it unsatisfactory and unsafe. Now, I’m having a really hard time finding another driving job, and things have gotten pretty dire. I’m facing significant debt and the very real possibility of becoming homeless and carless.
On top of that, I can’t shake the feeling that the other driver might have been trying to take advantage of the situation for insurance fraud, which just adds to my frustration. It’s heartbreaking to think that one reckless moment could lead to losing everything I’ve worked for.
If anyone has gone through something similar or has any advice on how to get back on my feet, I would really appreciate it. I’m also looking for any CDL driving jobs in the Orlando/Clermont, Florida area, so if you know of any opportunities, please share. I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed right now, and any support would mean the world to me.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I truly appreciate any help or guidance you can offer.
tractorferret@reddit
You know how many times me and a lot of other drivers have to step on their brake and make more following distance because someone ruined the following distance? Declare bankruptcy and start over. You’re not going to get hired fast enough to fix your finances. This is your lesson to be careful in everything you do because it can all be over in one second. Oh and take responsibility for your behavior. It’s not the other persons fault it’s 100% your fault for following too close.
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
So someone committing insurance fraud is okay. Got it. I will do the same to one you guys then. 😂
tractorferret@reddit
If you weren’t riding their ass they wouldn’t have had the chance to brake check you.
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
I wasn’t riding his ass that long or for that much of a distance. Was coming to a clear intersection green light, dumbass slams on his brakes as soon I reach 3 or 2 car lengths.
Waisted-Desert@reddit
A rear end accident is one of the most easily preventable types of accidents. This time it was a minor bump. The next time it could be much much worse. Either take a job with one of the bottom of the barrel companies or do something else for a few years until this accident ages.
Naw_im_sayin@reddit
Had a buddy with new CDL work at Yellow for 7 months until they went bankrupt. Nobody would hire him except for some shady OTR place out of Chicago.
WontSwerve@reddit
Sadly, you don't have the right attitude or focus to be a truck driver. Rear ending somebody is in no way a minor incident. It's a completely avoidable major accident. The fact nobody got hurt doesn't mitigate that, and you are extremely lucky that losing a job is the worst of it.
You don't have the maturity to fully accept responsibility, seek even to blame the vehicle you hit and clearly don't have the ability to stay focused.
Unless there is some mitigating factor that caused you to hit them while exercising full caution (which I don't see you mentioning) I am very happy if you never drive a commercial vehicle ever again.
hoarder59@reddit
You don't drive, do you?
WontSwerve@reddit
9.5 years accident free, almost all of it doing local LTL work. I have also done new hire and new driver training for one of the largest companies in Canada.
:)
hoarder59@reddit
Hmm. I have 15 years collision -free. 11 OTR with the largest privately owned Canadian fleet and the rest local. I wouldn't blow off a collision as minor but the way you vilify this driver based only on the brief account and your apparent intimate knowledge of the Florida job market throws the validity of your opinion into doubt.
WontSwerve@reddit
It's okay if your company and personal standards are lower.
Without seeing exactly how hard he was brake checked there's zero reason to change my opinion that he's an extremely unattractive prospective driver to employers and insurance companies.
The fact that he's reached out to 30+ companies and they've all rejected him more or less backs up what I am saying.
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
It was minor as it ended with a small scratch on my truck and tiny dent in his bumper. If it was major, it would have been a flip over truck or something like that.
Although I have admitted a lot of times I was partly responsible, yeah i should have been more careful but still a brake checker should always be held responsible in my opinion as he had no reason to do so other than cause a car crash.
As I had a safe driving record up until this point I don’t see why It should be difficult to be given a second chance from one little dent. There are other drivers who rolled their truck and still drive. Going down a mountain in snowy weather at 80mph+, texting while driving which is done by literally everyone I see on the road. But yet my little mistake which I learned from is making it impossible to get a second chance.
Responsible_CDN_Duck@reddit
If you weren't turning creating a scratch requires more force than a lot of people realize.
A lot of major incidents don't involve wheels leaving the road, and having an attitude that implies otherwise means you are an unsafe risk on the road.
Literally everyone like you needs to pull their head from their butt.
WontSwerve@reddit
The result doesn't change the charge. You seem caught up on the fact that you were lucky.
You also keep saying you had a safe driving record. Well everyone who's ever had an at fault accident has always had a safe record until then. 7 months safe isn't impressive, it's expected.
Fact is you are in a state that's terrible for drivers and freight. You have very little experience. You have been in a major at fault collision. The market is also dead right now. There is almost no reason to hire and take a chance on you.
Saying "Oh well I see others on their phone, others have driven after way worse accidents" shows a lack of maturity.
You're new, you fucked up. What anybody else did doesn't change that so it doesn't matter.
Grow up and fight the ticket are the only two pieces of advice you need.
seem92@reddit
Best option is OTR with the Russians. Most second chance companies won't hire you if you don't have at least 1 year. I've had a collision on private property but managed to find a new job after searching like crazy
Naborsx21@reddit
Have you tried the Chicago 1099s lol?
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
What is that? Honestly, I'm afraid of Chicago.
Naborsx21@reddit
Generally they pay as a contractor 1099 but are a lot more lenient on who they hire
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
I would need my own truck?
Naborsx21@reddit
No they hire company drivers.
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
You know a specific company name i could google? i need a job like yesterday. i only have a few dollars in my bank im so broke.
oickles@reddit
Say no to escrows
deezkeys098@reddit
I’m almost done with my 2 years with a 1099 I got hired onto a new company they put me on a 90 day probationary period I clipped my mirror going through a toll booth company fired me because I was on probation put “fired for safety” on my DAC no accidents no tickets no bad inspections yet I was forced to work for a 1099 for 2 years before I could be hired on to a “normal” company again
omahameats@reddit
Gotta be more to the story than what you are telling.
LongHaulSentinel@reddit
Look into USA truck. They’re second chance and would hire quite literally anybody when I worked there. I had a good experience with them, but heard they changed quite a bit after another company bought them out.
Beginning-World-1235@reddit
Western maybe
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
They denied me too. Called 30+ companies and they all saying get with another company and drive 6 months clean. I’m like yeah…no company is giving me a second chance. There’s one that I could go in February 2025 for having my CDL a year but I need a good job that pays $1000 a week. Supporting me and someone else is hard to do with these jobs that only start out at like what 15 an hour now?
Dual-use@reddit
Aside from finding a new job you should slash expenses as much as possible.
As for the next job see if someone will hire you as a yard dog. Or try to land a job that only requires some driving but still needs a CDL. Think landscaping, construction etc
Atlas-Gold935@reddit
Theres a bunch of class b jobs out there. Look into your local municipality job posting likey they have their own solid waste division you can apply for. The benefits are excellent. Thats what Im doing.
Gamer30168@reddit
I'm sure you don't want to hear this but you may have to put your trucking career on hold for a while, until that accident ages some. Maybe you could apply at a 2nd chance outfit such as Western Express?
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
I got denied by them. I called 30+ companies Friday all saying I need to get with another company for 6 months clean. I found one or two that would hire me but i need 1 year exp, and the other said i could be hired in feb 2025 since that's when i will have my CDL for a year. but i really need something now that pays 1000 a week, otherwise i lose everything.
KickinAssHaulinGrass@reddit
I bet you can drive a class b plow truck
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic. A plow truck in Florida…
KickinAssHaulinGrass@reddit
No I just can't read
How about a farm truck? Or construction, or something where they self insure
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
Ah haha. 😂 i applied for sanitation driver but didn’t think of farm trucks. I looked for dump truck driver jobs but maybe I’m not googling the correct thing? Keeps coming up class A driving jobs for OTR.
KickinAssHaulinGrass@reddit
Tomatoes and citrus have to get from the farm to the processing plant. And just apply at construction companies. The big ones that do the roads. The name is on the road cones.
You're gonna get creative and you're gonna get past this. There's a ton of jobs that need a cdl and most of them are better than western and werner
WontSwerve@reddit
This guy can't control an automatic dry van truck.
You think he's going to manage an old manual hauling flat bed, hauling equipment, working dumb hours or any of the other specialized work a construction company wants?
Wskytwn@reddit
Counting on help and support from Reddit AND truckers? That’s highly unlikely. That’s like stirring up a red ant pile and sticking your hand in it , and being suprised when your bitten.
angelarise3@reddit
Have you tried Butler in Kansas? They self insure and are a 2nd chance company. Also see if you could get a job as a yard jockey.
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
Hmm, I’ll look them up thanks
Water_ParkNazi@reddit
Look into Diversified transfer and storage based in Montana
TonyTrucking@reddit
Look for smaller family owned cdl companies or do another line of work in the meantime like construction. 🚧
VRYG@reddit
Look into driving for an oilfield company. I do regional water hauling and my roommate rolled a truck and came straight here from OTR. It will be rotational/hitch work, but it'll pay better than anything else and buy you time. Look for sand and production water hauling. If you want to PM me I can point you in the right direction.
Wasatchbl@reddit
Let's get one thing out of the way, you rear ended someone. All the new trucks have warning indicators and alarms that tell you when you're too close. Plus if you have cameras in your truck then you're even more cautious. But it happened, so it's done. Move on. If you want to continue trucking, you're going to have to go bottom of the barrel. Amazon contractors, 1099's, fly by night companies that hire anyone. Or go local hauling dirt.
12GT500@reddit
Not every new truck has those features. I drive a 2025 with no bendix alarms. Sure a mega carrier most likely has those features but there’s still new trucks without those sensors.
Wasatchbl@reddit
What do you drive? I'd like to get one
Ornery_Ads@reddit
I got a VNR from the Yellow auctions. It would beep if you had less than 7 second following distance, and red light/beep aggressively if it was less than 4 seconds.
I hooked up a computer and set it to 2 seconds for both warnings. I could turn it off completely if I wanted.
WontSwerve@reddit
You just order them without the systems or have them dealer removed, though some manufacturers and dealers will make you jump through hoops to do so.
TripleRaccoon@reddit
Second this. OP made one of the cardinal sins & is paying the price with sweat, tears, and potentially blood. Rolling a truck, 15+ Speed Limit, and At-Fault Accidents are a sure way of turning that plastic card into a paper weight.
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
Yeah I know, I learned my mistake, the dude slammed on his brakes to just prove a point and i was already slowing down. i know it was partly my fault but this world sucks as is, he shouldn't of brake checked me but i shouldn't of been that close which in my defense was only one stupid second. It is getting to the point I might have to join these brake checkers for a payday the amount of debt i am in.
Wasatchbl@reddit
Did you get a ticket? Did they tell you you were at fault?
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
Yeah, for careless driving. but i am trying to get it off my record with the CDL ticket service people.
Jordan_261@reddit (OP)
Yeah, for careless driving. but i am trying to get it off my record with the CDL ticket service people.
fr33bird317@reddit
Why aren’t you Ubering or something?
SufficientOnestar@reddit
Your career is not over,companies can be picky right now because freight has slowed.Talk to your own insurance company if they have a program to reduce points on your license.I see a concrete truck in your near future.
santanzchild@reddit
You keep posting over and over how minor the accident was throw some fraud claims out there and basically shift as.much blame as possible.
You did something for.money before trucking. Go do that for a year then reevaluate your optiins.
FloppyTacoflaps@reddit
Rip
darral27@reddit
The other driver committing fraud or not is not your concern. You hit em, move on.
It’s going to follow you for 3 to 5 years. The market is somewhat tough lately for drivers so between being new and having a stain in your record you are in a tough spot. Particularly being in Florida which is a tough market anyway.
You got a couple options. Find a shady 1099 company that’ll make you falsify logs and run your ass off for not much money. Or find a class b driving job until your record is clean and then start over.