50+ yr old Husb + Wife want to form a team. Advice welcome.

Good for you!

We found that the best way to get miles was to cultivate good relationships with the dispatchers and managers. If it's legal, and you have the hours a "yes sir three bags full" attitude will help you do that.

Be safe. Work hard. Ask questions. Keep learning. Be good to one another.

Congratulations. We'll see you on the road.

 

@Nortex please keep this thread going, or make a new one on you and your wife's adventure in trucking. Would love to hear how you and your wife teaming are doing and all that comes with doing this lifestyle. Would LOVE to get my wife (of 31 years) on board for something like this!

Rax

 

Oh I am so interested in how you guys are doing. I am in CDL school at the moment (week 4) and should graduate around the beginning of June. Then I hope to gain experience and next year when our youngest is in college, hope to join my hubby as a team driver. He has had his license for a few years now. We are married 29 years this year, ran a business together for about 20 and right now he lives in one part of the state and I live in another until our son graduates.Then we sell one house, pay off debts and hit the road.

Please keep us updated. And thank you.

 

Awesome update. Love it. Like everything new, there will be bumps on the road(excuse the pun), but I am sure they will iron itself out. Please keep the updates coming. I really appreciate them as hope to be in your shoes next year.

 

Glad to hear you're turning a smile a mile.

As far as sleep, well, I get by on about 6 hrs a day. Mr. E liked his straight up ten. If he got less than that... bad grumpiness ahead. I do the overnights, just like you. Try to get yourselves a memory foam mattress. Our personal fave is made by Denver Mattress. No, it isn't cheap. Yes, it is still one of the best purchases I made for the truck.

You'll find you can't always find a place to nap. Such is the plight of night drivers. Heck, sometimes I feel lucky to find a place for a 30. Careful getting yourself wedged in trying to find a spot at rest areas and even some truck stops. Solar powered drivers tend to shut down wherever... leaving us to navigate the super tight right of way. Try to look for parking areas and picnic stops. They aren't usually as full. Also, don't park on ramps if you can at all help it. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen four wheelers jammed up under a DOT bumper. If you can't avoid it, park on the on ramp side, where folks are going slower at first then trying to get up to speed.

Glad to hear you're doing well. Keep us posted. ☺

 

Excellent. This is gonna be a Great Adventure for us as well as you. Subscribed!

 

Pace yourselves. You need to settle in and rest where possible. If the truck is sitting and someone is going to collect you when ready to load, stop waiting in the seats, Go sleep in the bunks. Cuddle up or whatever rubs etc small things like that fosters a sense of unwinding. Hot tea goes along a ways to help with that.

It's nice to have the miles. But your lack of sleep will build up and get worse over a few days as you accumulate a sleep bill. Then it will become difficult to keep her between the lines when you really need to.

Try to turn off and sleep where possible. However long you can at any time when you are not moving.

One of you must be a night owl maybe? Or is the other a morning person? If so, then own it. It will help each other alot.

Drive when you have to. But be ready to enjoy a sleep at any time for however long you can even if you aint moving.

 

@hollywood76 - this husband/wife team can answer your questions about Schneider.