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Post by wordaddict on Jun 9, 2005 23:34:28 GMT -5
This is basically the report I made to my company. Company name's and location's have been removed. Accident Description: I was with my training driver, who was riding in the jump seat across from me.
The weather conditions were rainy as we departed. I had been traveling at 50 miles per hour, just below the 55 mile per hour posted speed limit, as we entered a construction area. I was driving in the left lane because a sign instructed trucks to use the left lane.
A contracting company construction crew worked on the median laying asphalt in the rain. The rain fell on the hot asphalt causing steam clouds to rise off the road and float over the highway. I saw the cloud of steam and began to brake just before we entered the steam cloud at approximately 45 miles per hour. I had planned to brake to approximately 5 to 10 miles per hour and continue at this speed until visibility improved. There was literally no visibility. The first thing I saw was the back of the truck outlined in an opaque wall of steam in front of me stopped on the highway. I braked hard, but there was not enough time to come to a complete stop before my truck struck the rear of the truck in front of me. We separated for a few seconds, then the truck behind me struck my truck from the rear, pushing my truck back into the truck in front of me. This time, after coming to a complete stop, I did not move my vehicle. The construction crew stopped work immediately after the accident and disappeared. The Foreman gave everyone his name and telephone number.Everyone on the construction crew had left the scene by the time the police arrived, approximately 15 minutes later. I filled out their paperwork and gave a statement as to what had happened.
The safest thing for me to have done when I first entered the steam cloud would have been to pull off the road and stop. But this was not an option because to my left the construction crew worked on the median and the lane to my right was filled with traffic. In my training to get my license, I was told to never stop on a highway. Following that training, I planned to continue at around 5 mph until the driving conditions improved.
Contributing conditions to the accident.
My training driver had become annoyed with me because I began slowing down as soon as the anti-collision system indicated there was something in front of me. He said I did not need to slow down this soon, so he covered up the system with a sheet of paper. If this system had not been covered up, I would have had another tool that might have prevented the accident.
I was told the training drivers have to meet high standards before they are allowed to train drivers. So I was surprised to learn that my training driver was on probation with the company for several traffic violations.
My company Terminated my employment "but not the instructor" and I was told by one person in the office I would have a hard time getting a job with another company without waiting 3 years. Is this true? Also I have a lot of time invested and was hoping to be with this company a long time since many reports have been good about them. Any suggestions, companies to check out and how to handle reporting the accident to them would be appreciated.
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Post by Fozzy on Jun 10, 2005 6:21:43 GMT -5
This type of post really irritates the crap outta me! You unfortuneately have become one of the thousands of decent prospects of the industry that were "thrown under the bus" to save some dimwitted "trainer". You need to fill out every electronic application you can find and be prepared to explain what happened in detail. Some company will pick you up but it may not be one of the big boys.
When something like the event happens or appears to be happening, you need to turn on your hazard lights and start slowing down as quickly as possible well before the problem. Slowing down should not be seen as "unprofitable" to someone who is supposed to be a trainer. If during the deceleration someone happens to hit you in the rear, you are less apt to be found at fault than if you are going to fast for conditions and hit someone or something ahead.
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Post by wordaddict on Jun 10, 2005 21:10:15 GMT -5
Hazard Lights! I did miss that and should have thought of them. The instructor did not mention them before or after, and come to think of it the truck stopped in front did not have them on. But I don't think anyone involved expected more than reduced visibility from the steam, just before it went to Zip!
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Post by Pcuthbert on Jun 10, 2005 23:52:15 GMT -5
Wordaddict;
My thoughts on this (as a driver trainer) would be that when entering a construction zone, you slow down significantly. I have seen construction workers trip on something and stumble into the driving lane.
You should have been going no more than 30 MPH by the time you were 500 feet from the crew.
Hazard lights are always a good bet, as are the backup lights. Anything you can do to increase your visibility, and give the vehicles behind you some extra warning, is worth the effort.
I have sat on a number of driver review boards. This accident you describe would be classed "Preventable".
You don't mention how long youhave held your CDL, but if the total period of experience was the 4 days of employment, it would not bode well.
Your previous driving record would have been taken into account at one of the boards I sat on. If your private license were clean, and you presented yourself well, accepting fault where appropriate, you would likely be still employed, but on probation, with my employer.
If you wanted to try to get your position back, the first step would be to obtain a copy of the police report. Their statement and evaluation of the incident could weigh heavily in your favour.
Pat
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Post by wordaddict on Jun 11, 2005 12:42:24 GMT -5
The posted speed for the construction zone was 50MPH and I entered it at 45mph. I did not slam on the breaks but was breaking hard when I saw the cloud. Harder after entering the cloud and visibility dropped greater than expected. All this occurred quickly. I was nearly stopped when I struck the truck in front. Damage then was probably little. I had only 500 pounds in the trailer. The truck behind had about 20000 and hit much faster. I don't have the experience to guess his speed but the hit pushed my truck back into the trailer in front of me doing the majority of the damage.
My instructor said there was no way to prevent the accident while we were there, but he also covered up the warning light. What he said later to the company I do not know.
My driving record is no accidents no tickets for 34 years. No trouble with the law at any time. Of course no drug use. I asked for an appeal and called repeatedly about it but never got a phone or mail reply and it was held without me.
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Post by Fozzy on Jun 11, 2005 13:08:00 GMT -5
Its ALWAYS better to make sure YOU don't hit anything to the front. If you have to take drastic measures like locking the brakes down (Yes!, there are things that make that happen) Then its always a better choice to avoid what YOU are going to hit. If the person behind you is travelling too fast it is THEY who will end up trying to explain it. If the "trainer" was right beside you in the jump seat and allowed this accident to happen, I would have relieved him and possibly fired his butt right there on the spot. If the fact that he was obscuring the or causing the VORAD to be unusable, he'd also be looking at the building from the outside AND getting a BAD review from me to other employers...but I'm a jerk when it comes to that stuff.
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Post by Pcuthbert on Jun 11, 2005 13:49:43 GMT -5
wordaddict;
Your option now is to obtain a copy of your employment file from the carrier. In this you will find anything they may tell a potential future employer. If you find anything in there that you disagree with, you have the right to contest it.
Obtain a copy of the police report on the incident. Including copies of these files with your application may get your application a better review.
Sorry to hear that it turned out this way.
Pat
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Post by wordaddict on Jun 11, 2005 15:19:28 GMT -5
Thanks, thats good information. I did get a police report but didn't think about getting one from the company.
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Post by truckertom on Jun 12, 2005 14:58:51 GMT -5
What I would like to see is your trainers record! Was he encouraging you NOT to slow down in the reduced visibility?
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Post by wordaddict on Jun 12, 2005 18:55:51 GMT -5
To clarify what happened. It was a constant rain and visibility was normal for a moderate rain storm. The instructor had complained about me slowing down on the first indication from the Vorad saying I slowed too soon. He then covered up the visual clues to prevent that. Also I was traveling at the posted speed as he had suggested before we entered the construction area. In the construction area the posted speed was 50-mph, I dropped to 45-mph. As soon as I saw the steam I started slowing a lot faster, my instructor was watching but said nothing at this time. The problem with greatly reduced visibility did not occur until I hit the steam cloud that the road crew created. Neither of us thought the cloud would be so dense or so deep. We both expected to be in and out quickly. At this point things happened so quickly my instructor did not have time to say anything. I never heard the audio warning from the vorad but things had gotten kind of exciting and I may have missed it. This is my own opinion, since I have a lack of experience of what a truck will do on wet pavement I would have been going at least somewhat slower because of the weather conditions. But my instructor indicated that that would cause it's own problems. I am open to hearing opinions on this. Also had I seen an indication on the vorad I would have been much slower before entering the cloud. Ether of these may have prevented the accident.
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Post by truckertom on Jun 14, 2005 17:26:52 GMT -5
"The instructor had complained about me slowing down on the first indication from the Vorad saying I slowed too soon."
"He then covered up the visual clues to prevent that."
So why didn't he cover up the windshield to prevent you from seeing the traffic ahead? Or the mirrors so you don't see what you are backing into? Sounds to me like you had an idiot for an instructor. Sounds to me like you were urged to keep going on an unsafe road. Does your ex-instructor still have a job?
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Post by wordaddict on Jun 14, 2005 19:14:57 GMT -5
Yes, last I heard he did and this is with a large company with a good reputation. I do still think the company is good and my trouble is just running into a bad cluster in it protecting each other. I still have a real problem with finding out my instructor was on probation with the company for unspecified " other violations " one I am relatively sure is for speeding. Also I wonder what the higher ups would think about him being assigned to training. I am trying to contact the instructor where I got my CDL for a letter of recommendation to see if that will help on a application., but he seems to have a large class this time and they will stay out driving from 8-am till as late as 9-pm making sure everyone gets time driving.
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Post by itrucker on Jun 30, 2005 7:47:36 GMT -5
Yikes -- a classic example of a bad instructor.
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Post by wordaddict on Oct 23, 2005 23:13:59 GMT -5
Just wanted everyone intrested to know that I stuck it out. I am now on my 4th week with a new training driver at a new company driveing a flat bed. Have to learn the Super 10 now, but I have gotten to an armed truce with it at the moment.
My last company and this one sure are different! The former company put everyone in what was basically a barracks. This one in single occupancy rooms in a hotel that caters to truckers. From my limited experiance they have always been friendly and helpful when I asked questions, unlike the service with a grunt I got sometimes at the former.
Not that there are no down sides to it. There are no terminals any where close to me and only two of them on the other side of the country. But I can take the truck home. They specialize in construction supplies and equipment often over size and or overweight, "I won't be touching that for a while" and 6 to 8 or more weeks out. Some parts of it have me feeling like I jumped into the deep end of the pool. But they do seem to have much improved support and their training is six weeks.
One thing I did find out, besides getting the accident report after and accident also request an MVR report from the state the accident occurred in. In my case, I think because I didn't get a ticket, my MVR was clean. With the clean MVR included in my application along with the accident report several companys said the accident was no problem. Had I have known about the MVR I could have gotten a job a lot quicker!
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Post by truckertom on Oct 30, 2005 14:57:35 GMT -5
Glad to hear you got through it all. I have seen drivers speed their butts off only to pull into the next truckstop and play vedio games! All the older/wiser drivers that he pass to get to his games pass him while he is walking toward the gameroom
If you risk your driving record, it should not be to get to a truckstop vedio game!
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