Newbie Team Hotshot Questions

Can't offer any advice hotshot related, but from the 5 weeks I spent in training on a trainer's truck, I sure hope you guys are best of friends. I don't mean good rapport when you occasionally see each other. Living in such a confined space will test you both. Add in the equal partner dynamic where there isn't a defined "leader" or "boss" and things can unravel quickly. Something as simple as throwing out trash etc can cause bust ups.

 

Teaming in a big truck is horrible, not gonna get better in a compact.

 

Short answer to your question is yes, one of you drives while the other is in the bunk.

To comply with hours of service regulations the sleeper berth must be DOT compliant, which in a pickup truck requires modifications such as a Woodhouse add-on or completely removing the right front seat for entry/exit from the driver seat requirements.

Hours of service only allows the co-driver to be out of the sleeper in a moving commercial motor vehicle for up to 2 hours either immediately before or immediately after their driving shift otherwise all time spent in the front seat of a moving CMV while not driving is logged as on-duty time.

As a compliance consultant with many hotshot clients I see this often where team hotshot drivers, because of the size of the truck, don't have a DOT legal sleeper or the co-driver doesn't stay in it and they get hours of service violations which include fines and maybe being placed out of service for up to 10 hours.

 

At least get a crew-cab or 4-door pickup truck.
@brian991219 mentioned Woodhouse, so take a look at that website. You'll need to have a DOT Compliant sleeper area. Sometimes the rear door panels have to be removed to make the length of the bunk DOT complaint. Woodhouse knows what is required.
Woodhouse
There's other companies that do what Woodhouse does also. Woodhouse is the most recognizable name.

 

Where is your location?

 

I thought they changed the rules for the compliant sleeper for hotshots??

 

Yes and no. If they are a solo driver then they don't need a compliant sleeper berth since it is legal to be off-duty in a parked commercial vehicle. This is true for anyone, not just hotshots, meaning someone could technically go longhaul in a daycab if they wanted to. Crazy, right?

For the OP, he asked about team driving which still requires a legal sleeper berth so the co-driver can be compliant with hours of service and log sleeper since a team truck will be moving and a driver can't log off-duty for more than 2 hours in a moving commercial motor vehicle.