So as title says had my 1st accident yesterday.I somehow manged to clip the backend of a car while pulling out from a loading bay,no major damage in the grand scheme of things,a scrape on the bumper on both truck and car but Ive been gutted about the whole situation for last 24 hours and it’s really playing on my mind,totally knocked my confidence. Not looking forward to work at all on Monday. Only 6 weeks into my hgv career,anyone else managed to screw things up so soon after getting under way?
If you take enough pride in doing a job well, that youre concerned about having accidents, and want to avoid them, then good. But dont wind yourself up to the point of getting stressed.
A cavalier "couldnt care less" attitude will do you no favours with employers or with your accident record. Just try to understand what you did wrong, learn, and avoid that error again. So long as no injuries involved, dont turn it into a drama.
Did you manage 6 weeks with no accidents? And can I presume you are full time? If so you should really get a medal.
My first ever shift on my first ever drop I reversed and made contact with a large skip. I didn’t know this. So I proceeded to ‘take a shunt’ - which involved me pulling said skip skip straight into a 7.5t owned by Debenhams… I was agency but I still remember the feeling of utter dread.
Second bang came around a month after. I was driving down the road… I had to turn around - which wasn’t easy on that road. I remember reversing into another company yard to get turned and thinking the double decker artic driver must be well impressed with my skills. And then coming back I saw my drop. Not believing that this was the entrance (it wasn’t you had to go around the back) - I swung the truck in so I could park on the side of the road and ask how they expected me to deliver there… The problem was I managed to rip the front bumper off the company directors mercedes and cause a load more damage. To say I wasn’t happy is an understatement.
So do not beat yourself up. There are loads worst drivers than you. I’m actually doing okay now. I am working for a blue chip company. I have passed some assessments. And I have even managed to blag a class 1 pass. And I’ve been driving… nearly 4 months. If I’m alright then you will be sound mate.
Mate…you have not “screwed things up” you have had a little accident, from your post its obvious that you have thought about this a great deal, i’m sure you know what you did wrong, now pick yourself up go into work tomorrow and get on with it 
The time frame is irrelevant you feel ■■■■ because it’s your first bump that’s all,I managed to go just 2 weeks short of 10 years driving before I had my first incident,tried to squeeze through a gap and took a bit of paint off the trailer on a bollard…no more than the cost a spray paint can required to put it right but I was still ■■■■■■ about it after managing 9 years and 50 weeks without having a blameworthy accident or causing any damage whatsoever.
■■■■ happens,try and forget about it and enjoy the job.
Yup! Out with a driver trainer and unaware to either of us I took out the front corner of a car. Second week on my own reversed into a small domestic trailer (car towed) and dragged it around trying to get off it.
Got warned and my probation extended by another 3 months.
Also had a guy drive into the back of me as he stupidly thought he could overtake his 4x4 on a country lane. Not my fault.
Just felt like a run of bad luck coupled with the inexperience of being a new pass.
Touch wood I’ll be incident free for the rest of the year.
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I remember when I first passed my class two in 2000, my first job as a bin lorry driver, I had a full crew in with me. I touched a wall… I mean I literally BREATHED on it, I mean the lightest of touches.
The wall was 6ft high and about 50m long. The problem was that the brickies had just laid it… the whole lot went over like a run of dominoes.
That’s bad enough you might think, but it gets worse. What was on the other side of the wall? About 20 parked cars!
I caused tens of thousands worth of damage and made a young girl hyperventilate into a paper bag.
Not the best start.
Don’t let it play on your mind. A Stobart driver would have taken down 10 bridges in his 1st week you are doing grand.
jbaz73:
I remember when I first passed my class two in 2000, my first job as a bin lorry driver, I had a full crew in with me. I touched a wall… I mean I literally BREATHED on it, I mean the lightest of touches.The wall was 6ft high and about 50m long. The problem was that the brickies had just laid it… the whole lot went over like a run of dominoes.
That’s bad enough you might think, but it gets worse. What was on the other side of the wall? About 20 parked cars!
I caused tens of thousands worth of damage and made a young girl hyperventilate into a paper bag.
Not the best start.
That has got to be the most unlucky chain of events ever.
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Not truck-related, but back in February 2012, I crashed the works van into the side of a bus on the Mandale Triangle in Thornaby shortly after it became a contraflow bus lane (was a one-way street before then). Wiped out a couple of body panels on the bus as well as the front bumper on the van! 
The driver of the bus asked his passengers if anybody needed an ambulance 
, but luckily nobody was injured, except a bruised ego (me)!