Team Driving At Prime

I agree with turtle. Going solo as opposed to continuing to team in a non productive situation is a no brainer. Nobody is going to label that as being a trouble maker or complainer. It looks more like a guy that wants to make a go of this. Go for it - you'll be able to figure this stuff out better on your own.

If you’re thinking of going solo, don’t wait. Let your DM know now so he get the wheels turning for getting you a truck of your own.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the insight. Maybe I’ll send out an update a month after I’m solo. I’m sure I’ll be back for more advice

Solo driving will present its own brand of challenges, while also having its own rewards, too. It will all “be on you”—planning, HOS , navigation, backing, etc. I did team driving for the first four months of my experience and it was not a good fit for me, but some drivers find it totally enjoyable and would never think about operating as a solo driver.

Whatever your path, there will always be some tough days ahead. To be successful, you take these challenges on face to face, “embrace the suck”, conquer obstacles, learn from these moments, and continually strive to do it better. Lots of folks will be here offering helpful advice and guidance should you need it, so never be afraid to ask. Anything! Truckers are made, not born.

The only easy day was yesterday.

Keep in mind that once solo, you will keep your current FM which can be a really good thing. If you already comminicate well and get along, awesome.

As far as team loads, many are loads solo drivers could do. Call the customer and ask if you can arrive early. Do NOT do this with Walmart though Many customers are first come first serve despite us having appointments. In a team situation i delivered 2 days early, and in a solo 36 hours early at times.

Also, two weeks is NOTHiNG! sorry but guess what.. you are probably going to hit something too. putting the codriver down for the scale is a little pompous. i knocked an axle off a trailer 1 month out solo. Does that make me horrible?

Also trucker pay is a matter of averages. You cant look at week to week, You need to look at averages over time. I have had pays that were $1800 solo and ones that were $900. However, I am at $40,000 now with 6 months to go and i took my two weeks vacation and go home every month. I did have 4 weeks of TNT training pay, but honestly, that usually averages out to about $1600 per week (highest $3200 and lowest $700), so take that for what it is worth.

PackRat,

I like it. 👍Yeah the more time I spend on the truck in a team that can’t agree on anything or how to run it the more I want the challenge of doing it myself. Trial by fire so to speak. I don’t have any misconceptions about having it all figured out (believe me I am very green). But I’d rather be frustrated knowing I made a mistake and paying the consequences then constantly being in a tug of war with someone who won’t compromise on anything and having to deal with the consequences of his mistakes as well as my own. Add on top of that a less than satisfactory mileage count ...it’s all a bit too much stress for the payout. I’m gonna go it alone and see what I can do. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement. Much appreciated.