Team Driver

How's things going ImOutOfHere ?

 

I'm looking into team driving as a wannabe truck driver. I'm also a veteran that separated just 2 years ago. Can someone confirm or correct my projections for team pay?

On their site:

44 CPM per truck/2 drivers = 22 CPM each
Avg 5000 miles (# on their site) = 22 CPM * 5000 = $1,100 Weekly (per driver)
+ monthly mileage bonus reqs met = 11 CPM per driver * 20,000 miles a month = potential $2,200 bonus monthly
+ 5 CPM bonus for 45+ days out/2 drivers = 2.5 CPM per driver * 30,000 miles = $750
= Potential of $1,100 weekly CPM + $2,200 monthly mileage bonus + (about $500 monthly 45+ day bonus) = $7,100 monthly for ONE driver (according to their average 5,000 miles per week)

Please tell me I'm doing my math incorrectly. That's a lot of money! lol

 

I would say you are a little high in your analysis. Realistically you can expect to make 1k-1500 as a team. More that that is tricky right out of the box. An experienced Haz-Mat team will do better of course. Can you make more than that? Sure, but if you don't expect miracles you wont be disappointed when they don't materialize. Hell Im a trainer and I don't make that much. 6kish a month give or take.

 

It's easy to clear a grand a week teaming. DON'T ASSUME YOU'RE GOING TO GET THAT MILEAGE BONUS OFTEN, IF EVER. Driving 20K miles in a month as a team isn't that hard. Being dispatched 20K miles in a month..? I don't hear many team drivers bragging about their 22cpm bonus on here. Can't recall one actually. Still, it's good money without the bonus, and you can go for it. As for the 45 day bonus. Well, staying out 45 days isn't as easy as it sounds, lol. That 20K bonus is going to be significantly harder to get on any month you take hometime too.

 

I too agree that it appears way over optimistic. And there are a few of these points you raise that I need clarity for myself. I'll be attending orientation next week, and will have my opportunity to get that clarity then. For example, I was told by my recruiter that the 22¢/mile bonus was on everything over 18,000 miles/month. Not the entire monthly mileage. Yet, I've read an ad that was worded more like it was everything. I'll try to get back to you on this. In the mean time, I would tell you to work on your HazMat endorsement. Having that (along with your team driver) gets your team an extra 4¢/mile on all miles you drive (whether the load is hazmat or not.) It also (in theory) makes your team qualified for getting more loads. The recruiter told me to save the receipt if I got the hazmat, because they would reimburse me for it. Having that endorsement would get you (individually) an extra $400/month on a 20,000 mile month. So even without reimbursement by the company, the payback for the endorsement (mine cost total $130) is less than two weeks. Read your state CDL book on hazmat, and do the practice tests here on The Truckers Report and on the CB39 website. When you've gotten the feel of them and are passing them consistently, go take the test for real.