Driving a big rig alone (solo) is a significantly different experience than team driving. My firm preference is team driving. I may not always enjoy my partner's personal habits or decisions, but as long as he/she performs in a professional manner, life on the road is better this way. At the same time, it is a good thing to experience the freight hauling life from a solo-driver's perspective. My partner took one week of vacation longer than I did, so I have been running the rig, alone for the past seven days. The dispatchers have generally kept me in the Midwest & Southeast during my solo driving experience. I've spent about 14 hours in all at various docks, getting loaded & unloaded - in contrast to our usual drop & hook setup that teams are usually arranged with. Some of my load assignments have allowed me to drop off my loaded trailer, them pick up an empty trailer to depart with, thankfully. (AKA "drop & hook").
I've been enjoying the extra space & privacy, but I haven't enjoyed the extra trip planning that a solo driver is forced to do - to get a load delivered safely & legally. As a team, we can usually divide the number of trip miles by 52, extrapolate the time, and have an accurate trip plan verified in less than 3 minutes.
As a solo driver, I have been able to prepare most of my meals in the truck - without having to worry about being too noisy for the sleeping partner. I also have space in the sleeper to work - instead of precariously leaning over sideways to prep my food between the front seats.
Team driving pays better than solo driving. The mileage rate is higher & they keep us moving. Also, it's easier to achieve performance bonuses as team drivers - since one of the criteria is keeping engine idle time below a set standard. In this heat, a solo driver simply has to run the engine while stopped to avoid heat stroke & also to sleep. Back in my solo driving days (2005 & 2006), I thoroughly cooked myself in the sleeper - earning my performance bonuses. Looking back- putting forth such effort for several hundred dollars was not worth it. I could have hurt myself or someone else because of the sleep deprivation & fatigue I was experiencing. There are places where trucks aren't allowed to idle - even for the safety & well being of the driver. Enforcement is waning -as more & more police officers realize what an unjust law this is. This is a clear example of being forced to break the law in order to stay alive. In the early years of stringent idle reduction enforcement, a fellow in Illinois rented out hamsters to drivers - to take advantage of the pet exemption in the law. Pets can't be forced to endure extreme temperatures, but humans can. He was eventually arrested for his entrepreneurial & compassionate effort. Great law, dumbasses.
The pros & cons go on and on.
I received a compliment the other day - for being the first driver to ever line up with a dock plate properly on the first try - at a Sears store outside of Chicago.
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