Solo Driving: Worth it?

Plain and simple team driving sucks, for drivers, never a good night sleep and always dealing with someones dirty socks, but the company makes more loads which = more profit for them, you still get paid for the miles you drove, not miles your co drove.

 

I was thinking W-2 wise there.

 

That's the thing - talking about BFI's . Sure they love teams . If one driver quits the truck keeps moving without having to send someone to recover it . There is better money to be made solo regional .

 

The majority of the people that go to the large carriers quit . They don't get enough miles to make a decent pay and promises about home time aren't kept. Taking the time to find a smaller company gives a better chance of succeeding .
Some people just lack the perception and coordination to be a truck driver . It does require certain skills not all people have .
A certain percentage of people are so lacking in skills they never should have been given a certificate by the CDL mill but I never heard of a CDL mill failing anyone .
The large carriers have no personal interest in trainees . They have a limitless supply . They call more than needed to orientation knowing a certain percentage will fail .
Not all trainers are fair . I'm sure many trainees with good potential have been rejected by trainers with an attitude .
To others trucking just isn't the fantasy they thought it was . The freedom isn't there when your every move has to be reported on a Qualcomm macro .

 

Never teamed after training so I can't compare, but I like running solo, and the only place I've been that teams seem to get loads before solo drivers is Laredo. Another thing, I don't split my layover pay or hotel room (if broken down) with anyone. Get to do everything my way. I just don't think I could team.

 

Solo is the only way to go. IMO!

 

Lot's of quality home-time and good money DO NOT co-incide, wether team or solo. The sooner you learn that, the sooner you can begin to grasp the realities of the trucking lifestyle. It's all about compromises. First things first ... determine how much of a premium do you place on home-time (and perhaps marriage) realizing that more home-time means less money (IN ALL CASES ... there are no exceptions to this rule), then orient your trucking goals to that end.

That being said, though ... if your carrier has too many trucks and too little freight, and you sit idle too long throughout the week, you can net more money sitting at home than sitting at a truckstop, staring out a windshield, getting pissed, waiting on a beep.