Husband/Wife (or couples) Teams - geting started Info, advice, experiences, etc

The main key to our success was "Dave Ramsey"! The truck was just the tool in which we accomplished it. I can't recommend this enough. Yes you need to know how to drive, yes you need to know how to run a business and how to hustle but I would say that an absolute must is "Dave Ramsey"! Website, CD's, books etc... The best is the every day satellite radio show in which you can keep it fresh in you mind!

As far as driving with your spouse or getting along, yes you will have your days just like you would at home or anywhere else but it really isn't that bad. Someone is always sleeping while the other is driving and you really don't see a whole lot of each other. Maybe 10 minutes or so in between shifts and a little bit of time when you sit somewhere but other than that it really isn't overwhelming at all. A lot of times when we took home time we would go our own separate ways or take a little break from each other just to get a little refresher. We always got along fairly well though. Now had it been my X-wife that would have been a different story. I would either be six feet under or in prison right now!

 

Courtney here hijacked Jim's account for a bit. We own our own trucks, yes I said trucks plural. He has his :I have mine, but we still do the team once in a while. Personally I don't like team driving for a number of the reasons Giggs mentioned earlier. Once in a while is fine, but I prefer doing super-single runs. That allows for time for us to be us and not driving to make an appointment. Super single is where both of us drive but not 11 hours, depending on the load we may do a 14 or 16 hour driving day and the rest of the time we sleep or do whatever. If you two are thinking of buying your own truck, physical maint records are the things to look at not what the sales guy says was done if it is not on paper it did not happen. I personally know of trucks with well over a million miles on them and are as trustworthy as much newer trucks. It is all in how they were kept up. From oil changes to grease jobs, repairs and part replacement. Just as an idea after all is said and done, on average after fuel, truck payment ect you will be looking at about 90 cents per mile income. The only place where you can increase that is by saving on fuel. Each 0.1 miles per gallon fuel mileage is about 2 cents a mile out of your pocket.

 

hey Chompi....how long did you run team ???

 

We ended up going as well, and feel the same way. Ready to make the change more now than ever! Got to talk with a very cool finisher(trainer) as well, which was great! Lots of nice trucks there, no doubt!

 

Thanks Courtney. I really like that "super singles" idea. Am I close when I say 50% to the team, 50% to the truck? I'm talking about a brand new truck. I would want new for the warranty and cleanliness. Also, like you said this way I have total control over the maint.

 

a new truck will be 50/50 and with a new truck you WILL NEED the warranty... as a company driver we always had new trucks, we would run them for 200k-400k then they would go to a solo and always the frist 100k we would be in the dealer ALOT

your overall breakdown rate will be higher with the newer trucks
trucks with egr (exhaust gas recirculating) have a 25% higher breakdown rate than none egr (2004 and newer)
trucks with dpf (diesel particulate filter) have a 30% higher breakdown rate than egr only (2008 and newer)
trucks with def (diesel exhaust fluid) are 20% higher breakdown rate than egr & dpf (2010 and newer)

so what do you think the breakdown rate on a new truck will be (all 2010 have egr & dpf & def)

and remember that a warranty will pay for the work but when your sitting at the dealer for a week the warranty ISN'T paying for your food and the motel and you aren't makin money

 

Good post flood

 

If the government has their way u wont be driving 14 or 16 hr days. Sad but true. As a solo I mean

 

Thats two drivers not one, both can run full log hours if they wish, but the point is super single allows you some you time rather than running team when the only you time you get is on resets.