Discuss going Solo in a ST
- Thread starter VBobby
- Start date
I have drove as a solo and a team. I highly prefer solo. I was forced into driving team when I was with one carrier by a fleet owner and hated it. I had nothing in common with my co-driver and he was not the most pleasant guy to be around.
Business wise - team driving keeps the truck moving 24/7 in alot of cases with the right carrier. So from that point it is great.
Solo driving, well, it takes alot more work, excellent trip planning, the ability to sleep when ever and where ever, eating quickly and taking JUST THE REQUIRED BREAKS you need to by DOT regulations. Anything more than those breaks and your not going to make it.
Bottom line, I can now make a living driving solo, and enjoy the time on the road by myself. I don't have to worry about making changes in my methods, plans etc etc to meet the needs of a co-driver. My decisions are made on my own and not in cooperation with a co-driver.
Teams in MOST cases is better left to the same household situations. You know each other better and their traits and all the money goes into the same kiddle.
Business wise - team driving keeps the truck moving 24/7 in alot of cases with the right carrier. So from that point it is great.
Solo driving, well, it takes alot more work, excellent trip planning, the ability to sleep when ever and where ever, eating quickly and taking JUST THE REQUIRED BREAKS you need to by DOT regulations. Anything more than those breaks and your not going to make it.
Bottom line, I can now make a living driving solo, and enjoy the time on the road by myself. I don't have to worry about making changes in my methods, plans etc etc to meet the needs of a co-driver. My decisions are made on my own and not in cooperation with a co-driver.
Teams in MOST cases is better left to the same household situations. You know each other better and their traits and all the money goes into the same kiddle.
It's really hard to get others to share information on this site if they are succesful. That said, I can tell that you have to be above average mentally. You have to plan your loads and plan to run an area's that return you to active freight zones without a ton of dead heading that will burn your hours. Don't be afraid to say no. If the load only takes you 3 hours to run, what are you going to do the rest of the day? You can't stop the clock. I do not know who you want to run for, but I think FDCC is the best place for solo drivers. The Cat is a nice company but you won't see anything over 300 miles a day if you are lucky. They micro manage waaay to much for a solo driver to make it. You will just be used as a jitny to pick stuff up and then swap out and the rest of the day you will sit. With FDCC they actually will give you loads that you can run and make money at. Especially weekends. The trick with them is to stay out of upstate NY. Always! And of course they are a few others. Also, they have some swap areas that are in the middle of no where and if you end up there.. good luck. It usually means DH'ing out. I have given up telling people where I run... I don't need the extra company.. but it's still pretty easy to figure out. Your Carrier can tell you where they are the busiest. Check the rates with other drivers. With the Fed you don't want to be in discount heaven where there is a lot of freight but it only pays .90 cents a mile. I really don't know how other company's treat the solo's.. most people here won't tell you if they have found a good company by name and I guess I can understand that to some degree. Good Luck!
greg334
Veteran Expediter
I share info on my success.
Here is what I see from my experience as a solo owner/driver - former fleet owner.
The company matters a lot but it isn't why you would think.
The question is how they fit into your goals and plans, not if they are good for solos or not. A lot of solos work for Panther, Express-1 and FedEx and are what they think as successful.
The problem sits with the issue of what your expectations are and if you have a bit of flexibility because of your limitations as a solo driver. Some people can't learn to work around issues or within the company's system while others lack the patients to stick to learning the company and how it operates.
Remember each company is different, each has its own way of doing things and really every one of them shares only very few commonalities between them.
See here is the thing, you may get into panther and hate it and then go to FedEx and love it, but again FedEx likes teams, a lot of their solos have a hard time, I know.
What I do advise is look for a smaller company, talk to some of these EO members who are with smaller companies and see if those compaines will fit your goals.
Here is what I see from my experience as a solo owner/driver - former fleet owner.
The company matters a lot but it isn't why you would think.
The question is how they fit into your goals and plans, not if they are good for solos or not. A lot of solos work for Panther, Express-1 and FedEx and are what they think as successful.
The problem sits with the issue of what your expectations are and if you have a bit of flexibility because of your limitations as a solo driver. Some people can't learn to work around issues or within the company's system while others lack the patients to stick to learning the company and how it operates.
Remember each company is different, each has its own way of doing things and really every one of them shares only very few commonalities between them.
See here is the thing, you may get into panther and hate it and then go to FedEx and love it, but again FedEx likes teams, a lot of their solos have a hard time, I know.
What I do advise is look for a smaller company, talk to some of these EO members who are with smaller companies and see if those compaines will fit your goals.
catchthecat
Seasoned Expediter
I will never drive in a team.If I go back to expedited,I will drive solo only.Is Bolt Express a good company to drive solo for?