Driving yourself before putting drivers in other trucks will give you a road knowledge that will serve you and your future drivers well. A driver might say to you, "I'm at the TA in Atlanta." Without time of your own on the road, that may mean one thing. With time of your own on the road, it will likely mean something quite different.
A new driver might say to you, "I'm at a scale and they just put me out of service for log book violations. I can almost see the truck stop from here. I'm going to go there to wait for the out of service order to expire, OK?"
What will you say to that driver? How will you know what to ask him about his log book so you can help him avoid problems in the future?
With time on the road of your own, you'll know.
Regarding how long people stay out, it ranges from attempts to be home every week (not a good idea) to being out nearly all the time. As a fleet owner, the more your drivers stay out, the better off you are. Time on the road of your own will help you personally guage what is reasonable and what is not.
Time on the road of your own will also help you better understand why some drivers who stay out three weeks and go home one can financially outperform others who stay out three months and go home for a week.
For a real eye opener, and you can do this now, go three nights in a row to your nearest truck stop and eat dinner at the lunch counter. You won't need to say anything. Just keep to yourself and listen to what others say. Then come back to EO and check what you heard there against what you read here.
