Team Pay

I would have a problem with this: With the demise of split breaking, it seems like any team will eventually slip into a pattern of day driver/night driver. It is only natural for people to do so to maintain a regular sleep schedule.

If this happens, wouldn't the "day driver" get screwed with the majority of hours at shippers and heavy commuter traffic, thereby getting fewer miles even though making the same contribution of time and effort?

 

A day driver??? I have to assume you are referring to "teams" in name only. People who team for convenience.

As a priority team, we done a 10/10 split. Our total shift was 10 hours...regardless of miles driven. Of course it was actually 11, with fueling, pre trip etc. I might be driving today, but in a few days I would be driving tonight.

I ran this way for years, and rarely was there a time that either of us failed to drive our share. Even if one of us was doing the shipper/receiver thing. Our driving "miles" were within 2-500 miles of each other for the month.

With that said...I had a few complete DA's and a couple of lazy SOB's. But they were gone in short order.

I see too many teams that define their "shift" by miles driven. I see too many teams, that define a shift on the 14 hour clock, when miles fall off on one or the other driver, due to traffic, shipper, and etc.

If a team is run properly, it will wash over an extended period. To define "your fair share" based on a 7 day snap shot of a month, is insane.

If I drive 10k this month. Most likely my co-driver will too, if they are any kind of driver at all.

Planning is the key.

 

While clearly this is the equitable and efficient way to do it, MOST people are more comfortable with a regular sleep schedule... I would expect most teams to put a little ln4 time on ln1 to fill out 24 hours and keep a regular wake-up time.

 

I'm considering a career in truck driving and wondering if there is better money driving teams.

 

Only if the company has good, consistent team freight, then you can make more money. But you will have to sleep in a moving truck (during the day possibly) and share said truck with someone else.