Starting out as a team driver

Team driving can be a lot tougher! Single drivers get about 10hrs a day off. Teams typically run 24hrs a day 7 days a week. Average team drivers run at least 6000miles a week. However the pay is a little better. Oh yeah and you better learn to love the other driver because you are going to be seeing a lot of them. I think it would make for a supreme reality show! Make sure you and your team driver live in the same vicinity so that home time wont be a pain in the butt. Also teams tend to stay out longer than single drivers. I team with my wife and we tend to stay out 2 months at a time. Do you live in the southeast? If so look into some of the reefer companies that do floral runs. They run teams that typically go out 5days and then return home.(Armellini,Blue Planet,DTL,) I started out in the trucking world teaming with another experienced driver so I believe I had the opportunity to learn more since I was technically training for 2 years. Whenever a problem occurred I had someone there to advise me.
Also try to find someone with the same likes. Smoking, music,hobbies, personal hygiene this helps a lot.

 

You can get paired as a team with most companies now days, easily.

If you have a friend coming in. you can get teamed as soon as you both complete training. Thats the best way because you both call home..the same area.

Or you can request to team with someone. It will be up to you whether you and your new found co-driver trust each other. And can get along for more than 15 minutes at a time.

I've never heard of a company doing personality/compatibility evauls on folks though. Before they team.

Getting home every 2 weeks...doubtful. Unless that dedicated account runs you by the house on a regular basis.

Dedicated accounts usually are a result of loads dropped in a yard, by teams. Although teams can do dedicated accounts, it will depend on your company and the loads/routes they have available.

 

By attending the school of hard knocks.

Like the movie said... "Life is like a box of chocolates"

Co-drivers are the same way.

Even the most detailed conversations won't reveal everything about a person. But dig as deep as you can before you team. Until you actually spend time with them, you really won't know anything.

If you pick wrong...it will be on par with a very nasty marriage/divorce. And trust me when I tell you, that you will pick wrong...at least once.

 

I got a couple of bucks I can put down as a bet LOL.

I been doin this too long, and know better. The only way you won't choose wrong at least once. Is to stay solo or bring your wife with you, if you are married.

What really chaps your ### and your wallet, is to make that same bad choice. Twice in a row.

 

This cannot be said any better.................

I speak from immediate and personal experience.........I work for a team company and also train.

Using the box of chocclate metaphor.........what makes it even worse....
You read the description think you like what you have read.....bite in and want to immediately spit it out......

Rarely but not impossible from the experiences I have had and drivers I have spoken to they/we have not found a good fit co-driver the first 2-3 co-drivers have been set up with.

My experience I used to drive 10wheel dump trucks pulling 25 foot bobtail trailers with backhoes for the most of 20 years and living in the NE I had some relavent experience. My first 4 co-drivers had never even been in a truck larger than a P/up. I spent the first 2-3 weeks teaching them how to drive and handle winter condiitions. My 5th co-driver was the best of them all however, my issue with him was he spent his entire 11 hours driving on the phone.......He would miss his exits gp wrong directon for a while and be distracted.

These are the types of things that can happen with a co-driver just to touch the tip of the BERG..........

Any questions ..............shoot away..............LMAO

 

Before you decide to team, get a cot and fasten it on one of those mechanical bulls. Then sleep a couple nights on there and see how you like it. I don't know why anyone would want to team with anyone but their spouse or shackup partner? That's the only benefit in it that I see. I'm sure the trucking companies would love to have you run nonstop from coast-to-coast. After a while I bet you'd feel like you're the subject of a Coast-to-Coast show.

It occured to me that I might be overly negative. I've run into some team drivers who really like it.

 

You forgot to mention/suggest he put that bull on wheels.

And every once in awhile take off across the room real fast...and stop on a dime about 2 feet from the wall.

That way he has experience needed to understand what that webbing is for And what happens when you think it's in the way.

Which really doesn't matter if your co-driver likes to tailgate, and stab the brakes really hard everytime you almost get to sleep. Cuz yer gonna live up against it (the webbing) most of the time.