Driving solo question

[kathy]

I drove OTR Expedited for a short time and really loved it except when hired I told them I cant be with anyone who smokes because of my Asthma they said they would make sure they put me with a non smoker when I arrived in TN I found out non of there drivers are non smokers so I tried it with a smoker and got gravely ill and had to get off that truck than they put me with someone who only smoked out of the truck but he still had the smell on him so again I got sick. I am home now in Florida but miss my time on the road it was like camping and making money so my question is as a team I drove 10 hours and my teammate drove 10 hours of course with our breaks in between so as a solo I figure the runs are shorter or the time is longer to get the freight to its destination do I drive short runs like a run that will only take me ten hours to get to drop off the freight or do I get the days I need to run as a solo driver...

 

[jjtdrv4u]

I drove OTR Expedited for a short time and really loved it except when hired I told them I cant be with anyone who smokes because of my Asthma they said they would make sure they put me with a non smoker when I arrived in TN I found out non of there drivers are non smokers so I tried it with a smoker and got gravely ill and had to get off that truck than they put me with someone who only smoked out of the truck but he still had the smell on him so again I got sick. I am home now in Florida but miss my time on the road it was like camping and making money so my question is as a team I drove 10 hours and my teammate drove 10 hours of course with our breaks in between so as a solo I figure the runs are shorter or the time is longer to get the freight to its destination do I drive short runs like a run that will only take me ten hours to get to drop off the freight or do I get the days I need to run as a solo driver...

as a solo expedite cdl driver, the hos is the same as any other cdl driver.
you have 14 working hours in the day.
you have 11 driving hours in the day.
you have to take a 30 minute break after 8 hours driving time.
you have a 34 hour restart after 60 or 70 hours, but this is being changed as we speak.

your dispatchers job is to find you runs that you can do within this timeframe. this will limit you to 500 to 600 mile runs unless you are given more time to do the load, like friday pickup for monday delivery.
if your dispatcher does not give you these types of run, then you run the risk of running out of hours, and both of you can get in big trouble for that.
some carriers will shut you down if you go over the hours, but others will run you out of hours, watch out for this second type.
good luck.

 

[LDB]

It depends on what carrier you run with. Some will run a solo only as far as a single shift. Others will give a solo a cross country run if the job allows enough time to run legally. If you are with a good company you will get a mixture. Do a lot of research and talk to as many drivers as you can with any company on your short list. It's too bad about your prior experiences. While about 1/4 of the population smokes it seems like at least 3/4 of truckers smoke. Good luck with your company search.

 

[kathy]

thank you all for the reply it really helps me I want to find a company that will have me take my dog or even a family member some time when I want but this is going to be my full time home on the road...you have all answered my questions..