I tried to get an answer to this, but have not been able to. What type of chance does a driver have to get hired if terminated from another company?

My SO was terminated after 18 months with a company. On driver review form it lists: hitting a deer, over-width violation, snow chain violation, and a minor accident (less than $500 damage, no citation - but of course all are serious). The snow chain violation his company paid for because they did not supply correct chains - now are trying to list as his fault.

In these times, what is his best hope? He really is devastated and feeling very down.

I appreciate any sincere suggestions.

 

That is a lot to happen in 18 months. I think a lot of carriers would see all of these things collectively as him being careless. The deer is something that is less within his control than the other incidents. You cannot control a wild animal. I have had them jump out in front of me. The accident, regardless of the amount of damage, is serious. If he drove his truck without chains in a required chain up area, that is also considered serious. The one I understand least is the over width ticket. It is usually pretty obvious that a load is wide. It is the responsibility of the driver to check his load and make sure that his permits are correct.

He may find it a little difficult to find something with one of the better carriers. It will depend more on the circumstances as he tells his story. I would just be honest and explain what happened. I would be cautious about hiring him myself, but there are a lot of carriers out here. I have seen much worse things on a driver's record. His best bet is to call some carriers and speak with their recruiting people. If he has at least 2 years experience and his MVR is clean he might find a smaller carrier to be more willing to take a chance on him. Some of the large carriers are very rigid.

 

That's what I was afraid of GMan. Sometimes you learn the hard way...that's what's happening right now. Do you think that he has any better chance of getting on local (we're in San Diego)? My personal belief, for what it's worth, is that he stayed out too long (6-8 weeks) and stressed himself out frequently.

BTW, the overwidth was a difficult load of some sort of pipe or metal of some kind...he had difficulty keeping it secured properly - it moved in some sort of way. He was darn good at securement though, so I take his word for this - he worked for a machinery moving outfit before he started driving and could pretty much secure anything.

Right now I'm a very concerned about-to-be-wife (we've been together 10 years) and I know how much he loves to drive. He's learned, but lets see who'll let him back in school.

 

You didn't mention how long he has driven. If he only has 18 months experience he may find it more difficult to overcome the infractions than if he has had many years of uneventful driving. I can understand your concerns with you planning on getting married. I don't know the local job market in San Diego. I would just check around. He may find something around the ports. Judging from the ones I have observed, they don't seem to be quite as particular about their drivers. If he wants to drive otr then he should check with some of the otr carriers before giving up. There are a lot of different carriers who come into Southern California. You may also want to check some of the truck stops around Fontana and Ontario. There is Truck Town and Three Sisters. They are both at the Cherry Street exit on I-10. I seem to remember Truck Town as previously having some local jobs posted when I have been there. They have a posting board where brokers and trucking companies can post jobs and equipment for sale. There are two TA's at Ontario. They should have a posting board near the drivers lounge. Those are the closest truck stops I remember as being close to you. If he hasn't checked with the State Employment Office, he may want to do that as well. You may be able to access their website online. By the way, there are several trucking companies who have terminals in and around Fontana. CRST has a rather large terminal down the street from Three Sisters. I think he will just need to do some leg work. It may just require some time passing.

 

Balderdash!!! That type of 'warm and fuzzy' misguidance will get him nowhere!

Have him immediately start beating the bushes at every company in the area. Many local companies (and the very few reputable OTL companies) couldn't care less about those silly violations that are non-preventable (deer), actually the fault of the company (chains). The over-width and minor fender bender can be explained away. It's not like he has a rollover. The only companies that don't see this are the ones that he probably doesn't want to be working for anyways. I think that the future looks a hell of a lot brighter than portrayed above.

The ole 'no chains unless you get caught' is an old OTL ruse that gets many a new driver in binds. As you have seen (luckily) they paid the fine, but your SO still has the ticket. Most companies outside of the realm of the dirtbag/bottom feeder/cut-rate outfits that we discuss on this board will simply look at something like that and knowingly laugh out loud, as they know what your (SO) has been up against. Letting time pass is absolutely the most moronic advice that could be given in this particular situation!

USE time to your advantage. Don't sit and let it pass. That accomplishes nothing and will only make it tougher to re-enter the industry. BOL

Tell the SO to get back out there with a big stick, there is something waiting out there for him. Clock watching will only lead to boredom, distress, unpaid bills, etc, etc. Be proactive, not an apologist.

pro·ac·tive or pro-ac·tive (prō-āk't�*v) Pronunciation Key
adj. Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory:

 

Belpre, if you are so naive as to think accidents don't affect your job prospects in this business, you really have no idea of what you are talking about. I tell you, some of your posts make me think you are a spoiled little child who's parents allow him to play on the computer rather than a driver. :roll: You also don't need to scream and yell, belpre. When you have the caps on or such big letters it shows that you are screaming and yelling. Take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly. Any accident or ticket can affect your job prospects in this business, even one that is no fault. It is all about the liability for the insurance company. I would continue to knock on doors, but be prepared for some of them to be closed. The deer would probably not affect him much, the other accident could. The ticket for the over width could hurt him, depending on how it was written. His load shifted according to the original poster. That could be considered a moving violation. Moving violations are serious and WILL affect your job prospects in this business. If the load shifted then it could be considered an improperly secured load. Believe me, that IS serious. Much of it will depend on whether it appears on his MVR and what he former company reports or says when any prospective employer calls for a reference. If he wants to drive local, then the standard may not be as high as otr. Most of the major otr carriers will look at these infractions closely. There are a couple of recruiters on this forum. You could direct your questions directly to them. They would be in more of a position to answer your prospects questions when it comes to the major carriers.

 

Thanks to all of your very passionate responses...speakiing with conviction is not a bad thing and I appreciate the input.

Neither the chain or over-width citation are on his MVR. He got a copy of the long form yesterday and there is no such violation from CO. It was from almost a year ago, so it should be on there. Is there someplace else it would be?

Regardless of what he has to take responsibility for this, it will never cease to amaze me that companies (especially the one he worked for) are never accountable for the b#$@! they put their drivers through and the negative impact to the driver's earning potential!! :shock: Just my 2 cents!

 

I think GMAN is right that some companies might not accept him, but I don't think the things you listed should make it too hard to find a job. My company tells us if a deer funs out in to the road, they WANT us to go ahead and hit it. They would rather pay to get that fixed than running off the road and rolling the truck or into the other lane and hit an oncoming car.
I would look into a fuel hauling job if he has tanker and hazmat. I talked to one driver in NV who was at a fuel stop making a delivery and he was really happy with his job. I think he said he ran from Sac to all over Cali and some times to NV as well. And I know that there are some fuel hauling companies around San Diego, just can't remember any names right now. May be some listed in the paper.

 

The best bet is to get on the phone and make some telephone calls. There are several Internet sites, including this one, where he can fill out an application and have it sent to dozens of carriers. I am sure he can find something. It is a matter of making the effort and time. There will be some companies who will not hire him due to his history. Others may give him another chance. If someone does give him a new opportunity, he needs to take extra care and stay with them for a while. He needs to demonstrate some stability. Let us know how it goes.

 

The state of the economy may have reduced his chances somewhat, there are just a lot fewer local jobs available. I went to line-haul after coming off OTR and then I found this local belly dump job. They are the best paying, best benefits, home every night etc, but it's seasonal with a 5 month winter layoff. They hired based on an interview, no checking DAC/USIS etc.....that may be rare.

Now I'm going to go OTR for the winter and I found a company that knows I will only be working winters and going back to my paving job in the summer. The winter job checked my DAC and all the normal history stuff right away....your record is important.

Just an observation, as I have done Mt Hood nightly while I was line-hauling, he should never ignore a chain restriction, it's ugly if you get caught. Pulling doubles means (in Oregon) two sets of 3-railers and one single on each trailer. Chain up, chains off on the way over and the same on the way back.....even if you know you can make it, take the time and hang the chains......bad winters you do it every day/night........the record of being caught stays with you for years......

Best of luck, keep looking find a job and put in some years of perfect record and it will get better/easier.