Question about teams

The best thing I can say about driving teams is that the truck makes alot of money. Noticed I said TRUCK. You do get paid for all the miles (Most of the time) the truck runs but you earn a fraction of what you would earn. 1st seat earns the most. It is of course his/her truck. 2nd seat earns less.

Bad news is you are sometimes stuck with whom ever the company places you with. I have had to go get a truck that was impounded because the driver and co-driver got into a fight. The co-driver ended up in the hospital and the driver was in jail facing felony charges. I have seen some stupid things in 20 years.

To answer your question is very difficult. There are many factors to consider. Your take home gross might be as low as $27,000 but as high as $35,000. THIS IS NOT SET IN STONE. Don't lease a truck, you don't have the experience that is needed and judging by your question, I am pretty close to being right.

If you want to Team Drive, be the second seat. You don't have the worries of the frist seat and you will earn money while learning.

 

BulletButter,
The amount of money you can make driving team can depend on who your co-driver is.

I was team with two different friends, and here is how it worked out:

First friend, we were both single, pretty small house payments, no car payment. We were content to just kind of go with the flow. I took home about 45,000/year for my share.

Second friend, two kids, big mortgage. He wanted to RUN. We would start hammering dispatch to book us our next load when we were still two days out from delivering what we had. I took home about $50,000/year for my share.

What I am saying is, if you want to make more money, try to find co driver who wants to run hard.

 

:smt023It is not all that difficult for you to select whom you want to drive with as a team. Companies know that there are husband/wife teams and they want to keep them together. If there is a family member that is wanting to team with you, all the both of you need to do is let the proper person know this. I am not saying that you will get it right away, just make it known. If you can try to lock whom ever to a date.

1st Seat Drivers
They are the experience drivers. The dispatcher does not need to worry as much. If there is a problem the 1st Seat Driver might just have the answer needed without haveing to call it in. [However, lately companies (England, Weiner, ect) are putting 1st Seat drivers out there who DO NOT have a clue when it comes to driving . Those companies philosophy is "In 6 months you can lease a truck."; they are a turn and burn companies.] The 1st Seat Driver is the person that knows what the truck can and cannot do. They have choose on when you drive, which bunk you sleep in, how you are to run the truck, where to fuel and how much, and the list goes on and on. It is HIS truck. You follow HIS rules. You don't like it, then you go find another truck. Sounds harsh but it is THE RULE.

2nd Seat Drivers
Easiest but yet the most difficult position. You drive the truck (easiest) and learn (difficult) Why do I say that learning is the most difficult, because you want to do it the way you want to. You are learning and what you are learn, you want to put it to work. Take your time, You will get the chance to show off (bad choose of words) later. The times that will be the most impressive will be the times that no one saw you. It happens like that all the time.

I hope this helps

 

where do you find someone looking for a second seat?? I have been out of driving otr for 7 years but in those seven years I drove dump, and tow truck semi, and heavy equipment so not completely out of it but not otr so I would like to find someone looking to put on a second seat??? HELP... Thx