Owner Operator - Husband/Wife Teams

My husband and I were OTR team company drivers for two years and bought our first truck in Sept 09. If you are a bit of a vagabond and you think you can be arms length from each other 24/7 without killing each other, then you will love it. We have a blast out here on the road and take time off around the country whenever we can. Most days I don't feel like I am getting up for work, its an amazing feeling to actually like my job now!

We are leased on to an airfreight company and we are doing great financially and are very happy with our decision to become team owners ops. I guess my only complaint if I had to pick one, is that our transit times are soooo tight. We barely have time to fuel, switch drivers go to the bathroom ect. I miss the days when we were hauling generalized freight where we could go out to lunch en route, pull over for a nap, or take my dog for a long hike. Now its just go go go, until we drop our trailer and then we can go on dates and relax till our next load is ready.

Also, tell the wifey they make automatics trucks. When we were truck shopping I didn't care what my hubby picked out but I put my foot down about getting an automatic. I know, I know Im a sissy trucker, but whatever, I love my automatic, except of course when it acts up and doesnt want to go into gear.

 

Are you looking to team leased to a company or under your own authority, booking off load boards?

 

now my friend it is a good thing that your asking question it will help you a lot in making a decision.

but the question your asking does not have a simple answer it can be different depending on the man and women .

for example i tried it , i took my wife with me for a while it lasted for 9 months that was the longest 9 months of my life but my wife is unlike any women i've ever seen she is afraid of pototo bugs she like to have drove me crazy, flat refused to get in the sleeper she had to sit in the seat so she could tell me how to drive and when i was going to fast and when to hit the breaks and when i could pass it was rough that on top of a really bad winter in colorado was all i could take i put ther on a plane in denver she had all she could take not to mention me .

so it really depends on the women if she can take this kind of life you will enjoy it but if she can 't you will be miserabel just need to talk with her and make sure she knows what it is and understands it . i have several friends that run man and wife and have fr years and they do great and the wifes love it there lucky i was not .

best of luck to you my friend. i wish you the best along with your wife.

saouthernpride

 

Just remember that if you go to work for one of the big carriers you'll just be a number no matter what any recruiter tells you...I'd try to find a smaller, family owned outfit that can kinda take you under their wing and let you learn about the industry thru a lens with a little wider view...

 

I apologize for not having responded but I thought you were only interested in owner op teams.

I team with my husband but we team as a company team.

What type of information are you wanting?

 

Okay. You might want to let her think of questions she might want to ask. OR and I mean this seriously: get her to join this forum. *nods lots*

I'm going to tell y'all the best then the worst of what I think of right off the top of my head. Best: You get to be together. You both earn a paycheck. You get to see different places and meet new people. It's not an office job. While you've got bosses and customers, they're not hanging over your shoulder all the time.

Worst: You're with each other ALL the time. LOL Yes this part is both best and worst. LOL You shower in terminals and truck stops. Sometimes depending on the fleet and load you're under you may not bathe every day. You live in a small closet on wheels. You're limited in what you can take with you. You do your laundry in terminals and truck stops. A woman must take care of her hair, her shaving, her personal hygiene, menstrual cycles, hormonal fluctuations in a truck, terminals or truck stops. There will be emergencies when she might not be able to wait to piddle at a rest stop, truck stop etc. It's not a life of delicacy.

However......it's a lot of fun. It's crazy, changing and we're all here to help her along the way.


How hard it is: if I can learn to drive a rig so can she. Just wait until she listens to her friends whining about not being able to parallel park their minivan and she turns and says "what's the big deal? I can parallel park an 18 wheeler". She CAN do it.

Finances: man these vary company to company and fleet to fleet. We team for Swift on a dedicated Wal-Mart reefer fleet that hauls frozen, dairy, meat and produce. For us the miles are steady and the money is good. We average 5-6 K miles a week. However, there are teams with other fleets not seeing this and teams on other companies seeing less miles but more per mile. I can tell you that we're blessed and certainly see a take home per driver of $700 a week average.

If your wife is a woman who loves a challenge, likes to solve problems, has a good sense of humor, can apply her makeup bouncing in a sleeper as you drive down a rut filled highway then she'll love it. Does she like camping at all? Or the challenge of cooking a meal in the space of a bread box? This life is for her!

Also on finance is that some companies will train you for their fee but when she is trained they'll do it free.

I know I'm forgetting important stuff. It's easier if she's got questions.