Night Driving, Solo

never been a problem for me to work my schedule around pickup/drop times to run nights 75% of the time. it just works out better for me to run nights as that is the time i'm usually up and at my best. less traffic, usually blow through the metro areas instead of sitting in traffic, generally the more professional drivers are on the road at night and the morons are out during the day. look for a company that has more drop and hook freight than live loads if possible as these usually have a delivery window as opposed to an appointment time......those are much easier to manage as night runs. ours usually have a window of midnight to midnight so it's pretty easy to roll during the dark and sleep during the day. it's much more practical to do spring through fall during winter rolling at night in the snow isn't something you want to do but most of the year it's really not an issue to roll on your schedule if you get the right company. and watch out for the deer lol

 

Not sure how the team driving is affected by noise with radio, etc. so I can't comment on that. My husband does prefer night driving too, but it is easy to get the hours reversed around due to pickup and delivery times so there is no guarantee you would be able to drive strictly night time hours if you are solo. He has driven team with a co-driver, and has done training in the past with a lot of missed sleep, and solo. He was solo when I road with him in 2008-2009. He drove whatever hours it took to get the load done, and when it was sleep time you died. Some people may need to get use to the varying hours though since there is no constant.

Also weather has a deal in it too, fog is more prevalent at the night, early morning hours. Wind in the west is stronger at night and then you also have colder weather temps at night that can cause icing on roads, this can be as early as October on I-70 in Nebraska.

We had been around Atlanta GA somewhere like 2 am and I still don't know how there can be that much traffic that early in the morning, it seemed like no one goes to bed.

Team driving as far as team driving, if you can find a co-driver you can get along with, keeps the truck rolling and the pickup/delivery times easier to work with I think as far as planning goes. You don't have to figure out where you are going to have to take a 10, if there is a place to park, etc. For the person sleeping though, according to the road you would be on, would be the one bounced around in the potholes and bumps, so many roads are in such bad shape. I guess if you are tired enough though you might be able to sleep through it all.

Also you or the co-driver could wear earplugs to knock out any noise, which is even an option for a single driver who doesn't like to hear noise from other trucks in truckstops or reefers running.

As a solo driver sometimes the loads seem not to be preplanned well, you will spend most of the day waiting for a load to come through and then it finally makes it and you have to drive the next 11 hrs and you didn't get a nap in. With electronic logs now I think a load of companies are doing better load planning and getting the loads out on a timely basis compared to a few years ago, but there are still occasionally some of those days.

 

See I am the other way around, I HATE night driving. I can't see my rear end well when making turns, I can't see well far ahead. I have always had issues with night vision my whole life. One of the reasons I didn't last in OTR very long. I had to go drive a non CDL box truck because of it.

 

Believe me you will get plenty of eye strain at night. Come around a curve in TN when the trooper has someone pulled over when its pitch black out there. Not to mention all these new super bright headlights, xenons, and high ID lights. Me myself I prefer to drive at night when the traffic is lighter, makes it easier to get to your destination a lot faster and get more miles in. Not to mention that most of the idiots are at home in bed, just have to watch for the drunks when its about closing time for the bars.

 

The noise factor of the radio or audio books is negated by the unbelievable amount of noise that the truck makes. When one of us is in the sleeper berth with the curtains closed, we actually have to yell, loudly to each other if we need to ask/answer a question.

As long as you or your co-driver keep the volume at a reasonable level it should not be a problem. Besides, once you adjust enough to the point that you are able to sleep through the noise and motion of a truck rolling down the highway at 65+ mph, bouncing and jostling you along, plus the noise of Billy Big-rigger in his souped up Pete blowing by you like your standing still, less than 6 feet from your ears....you will barely register any sounds from the front.

I am (was) a very light sleeper, i could not fall asleep with ANY noise or light. A few weeks of sleep deprivation when I first started driving...cured me of that lol. I could sleep through a hailstorm now...did actually a few weeks ago.

Audiobooks are a little more difficult because you have to turn them up louder in order to hear clearly, so I use my bluetooth (blue parrot) to listen to my books. Also, you can use regular headphones plugged in, but only put the right earpiece in. It was very uncomfortable to try and wear both, i felt like i was driving with half my sense. You would be amazed what kind of input just the one ear gives you in terms of your surroundings.

 

What does having a partner have to do with your driving abilities? Most truckers drive at night for several reasons: one less traffic, cooler for the engine and tires, and maybe more serene if that is how you want to put it, but less eye strain, not a chance. If you eat right, which most do not, take breaks as in checking your load and equipment for first 150 miles and get the rest needed you should have no problem out there. Now if your just fearful being a newbie forget it, you'll get over that when you met your first dumb ### that cannot park correctly at a truck stop. Make sure you either carry yourself a tazer or pistol while travel, their some crazy people out in the world away from home; if you pull it out, make sure your prepared to use it. I've heard some nightmares up in New York around the corkscrew and downtown Cleveland about ones getting there air hoses cut, so be prepared unless your super bad ### like trained from Bruce Lee.
If you in doubt about how to secure a load, don't be afraid and ask another driver or if pulling a flatbed, ask a mill hand. Won't do you any good once your down the road to learn; Personally, I discourage teams unless husband and wife or siblings, someone you know really well. Some companies will run you too death running teams because you'll have to run hard to make a living. Try solo first and drive the hours required to get the job done; trucking is about all hours day or night, and inclimate weather, if your going truck be the best at it and look your best too. Looks and dependability goes a long ways with shippers and consignee's.

 

Get a local job hauling fuel, you can work nights for the rest of your life...

 

Yea that will get ones attention quick when having to make a quick stop as the light catches you and then hear the rumble in the night as when that fuel hit top end slipping one right through that intersection. WTF, that's right you'll love them nights.