If you get in an accident in a truckstop parking lot by hitting a pole and you need to be towed, is it a DOT preventable or just a preventable?

Thanks for your responses.

 

Just a preventable ...non highway...incident/accident.

 

Nailed it pretty good, did ya?

It's definitely a preventable - whether it's DOT reportable is iffy, though. DOT reportable accidents occur when you must be towed. However, this happened on private property.

 

As mentioned, if the truck has to be towed, but since it happened on private property, you could run into a bit of a gray area. The final deciding factor may be the amount of total damage done to the pole, what the pole is connected to, the truck, trailer, and cargo. If the dollar amount goes high enough, coupled with the tow, the company may very well have no choice but to report the incident to DOT.

As far as you employment record goes though, it is not going to matter a whole lot if it is DOT reportable or not. It is still a preventable accident/incident which is what any future employers are going to look at as well as exactly what the accident was.

 

What IS the law reguarding DOT accident/preventable incident or other?

 

Actually it's DOT Reportable or not. If a truck is in an accident and has to be towed, it's DOT Reportable. Whether that holds true on private property is the grey area. I know that if you hit a light pole on a public roadway and you have to be towed, then it's DOT Reportable.

Preventable/non-preventable is the companies wording for it. Meaning if there was any way, shape or form that you could've prevented the accident then it goes on your record, whether it's reported to DAC or just put into your file.

 

How'd it happen?

 

I bumped the end of the guardrail around the scale at a truckstop. Put a small hole in the bumper and a hole in the radiator and the coolant drained out. The only thing damaged was the truck. No police report or anything, just a tow back to the terminal.

 

if you work for covenant then yes after you quit it will be posted on your DAC and they will charge you for the bills

 

What bills? They can't make you pay for an accident can they?