Trucking appeals to many because it is a career without micromanagement and the office culture. Driving long hours on the road alone is a relaxing escape to many. This lifestyle is also challenging and leaves you away from your spouse for an extended period.
Team driving provides an alternative to traditional trucking that gives you more flexibility and engagement on the road by having a partner in the cabin to split the job.
To help you find out if team driving is are right for you, here are 5 things you should know:
(1) – Team Truckers Haul Longer and Faster
Team truck driving jobs pay more than solo positions because their loads don’t completely stop when one person’s hours of service reaches a break or off-duty period.
Remember: the trucker salary is calculated in “cents per mile” (CPM). The maximum number of miles you can squeeze into your hours of service (HOS) is the only thing that limits your income. For the traditional solo driver, every eight hours of driving they must take a 30-minute break and every 14 hours of service they must take a 10-hour off-duty period.
While HOS rules still apply for team drivers, they simply switch off who’s driving and keep going. Typically, this means they complete loads in half the time as a solo driver. The sooner you finish one job, the sooner you can take on another.
Longer hauls in less time equals more potential earnings!
(2) – Team Trucking Jobs Have Split Pay
Even though team drivers have the potential to earn more money by working more loads, trucking companies split their pay. Their actual rates are usually about the same together as a single solo driver. Some companies, like CSS, pay the “lead” driver a little more than the co-driver. If you’re a team owner operator, together you’ll have to pool your earnings to reinvest into the truck for general maintenance.
(3) – To Team Drive Successfully, You Need a Compatible Partner
Team drivers have to get along and cooperate to be effective business partners and successful drivers. On a personal level, your partner might smell funny, snore, or have a rude attitude. In that case, you might feel more comfortable and confident alone than with a jerk of a team driver. You’ll want someone that keeps you motivated, encouraged, and organized. Since you both will live together, think of it like having a college roommate. The ideal person is honest and chill. Someone that causes drama though will be a huge problem on the road.
Then, on the financial side, your team driver needs to be respectful of your time. They might take forever at stops refueling or on a bathroom break. That’s lost time on the clock that cost you miles. And, if they break company policy, you could both take the blame for it.
It’s important to choose your team driver wisely for safety reasons. If they are too inexperienced, they might make poor judgments on the road or overlook something in an inspection. You don’t want to trust your life with the wrong person, especially if they have a history of substance abuse or extreme driver fatigue.
While the one partner isn’t driving, they can organize paperwork, prep meals, check navigation, and communicate with dispatch. It’s a team effort, so responsibilities should be shared to make everything easier for both. Decide together issues like who will drive at night, who refuels, and who deals with clients.
(4) – Married Couples Often Team Drive
In theory, no one is more compatible as a team driver than your husband or wife. If you’re a strong couple, you’ll hopefully make the right decisions on the road. Managing the vehicle together with your loved one will probably go a lot smoother than with a stranger assigned by the trucking company. And, all the money usually goes to the same bank account, meaning you’ll have the same financial interests in mind.
I say all this with a big caveat – trucking is considered a stressful job. Dragging your spouse into the mix can make things complicated and raise tensions. Balancing with work with your personal life will prove one of the major difficulties in your trucking career. Some couples will find it easier to separate their work lives. However, trucking also places a large physical distance between loved ones. In some transportation companies, you might wait weeks to enjoy your hometime (while CSS promises every drive will be home for the weekend). Then, you have to decide what’s best for your children. Is it best they mostly see a babysitter? Seriously talk it out with your spouse and agree together on what would work best for your family.
People think of long road trips as romantic. Team truck driving with your spouse should feel like an adventure together. Just make sure you go into the career with the right attitude. No matter what, you’re in it for the long haul!
(5) – Team Owner Operators Have Low Maintenance Costs
Unless they are directly liable or don’t follow procedure, company drivers generally don’t assume any financial burden for vehicle damages. On the other hand, owner operators have to pay out of their own pocket to manage their vehicle. To many drivers, that’s a huge disadvantage because of the high costs involved in the upkeep of commercial trucks.
However, just like settlements are split for teams, maintenance costs are divided among the team owner operator partners, making it less of a burden for each. Owner operator team driver pay is usually the highest in the trucking industry when you account for the amount of money they save together. Plus, if they are good partners, they are likely to work well together investing and using their earnings wisely.
I hope this information is helpful. If you’re want to apply as a team driver, contact us to get started and submit your information using our application link.