Hi everyone, 1) What are the pros and cons of driving with a partner as a team 2) Can we end making more money driving as a team if so why ? 3) What kind of hauls is best for teams to do together to haul and reasons why 4) What can I earn if I drive with a partner
Hey dadnson, yes you will make more as a team even though you will be paid a lower rate because you will get paid for EVERY MILE THAT THE TRUCK MOVES. You will be doing cross country runs of 2500 plus miles per trip. You can do 6000 miles per week or more. Most companies pay 20-25 cents per mile for each of you. IF you do 6000'miles a week you are looking at $1200-1500 per week per person BEFORE TAXES and any benefit deductions. Solo you would have to be making 40-50 cpm at 3000 miles per week to equal that. Hard to do. Now, you will be in very close quarters with two people dividing 15-20 square feet and sharing a fridge and storage space. I remember training with Abilene I slept up top with my bags of clothes. You gotta have compatible personalities and get along. Do one of you smoke and another doesn't? Adjustment! The hardest thing for me to do was sleep with the truck in motion. These interstates with their potholes and bumps and construction was not conducive to sleeping. Of course, I am a light sleeper. If you are a heavy sleeper, you should do fine. Do you trust sleeping behind the other person and does the other person trust sleeping behind your driving?? Stuff to think about. Me personally the only way I could team is if the truck shuts down for five or six hours a night to get quality sleep, hence I am soloing and love it. Though I enjoyed the short time I teamed with Johnboy and Big Brin with Abilene. If you get along good, the companionship is terrific. I mean that in a totally non gay way. The friendships I made were great. Those are the pros and cons as I see it. Hope this helps! I take it you will be teaming with your son so I wish you all the best!! To me, trucking has been a great adventure and I have only been in it 15 months.
Answers to your questions: 1. Pros: Constant miles, priority dispatch, newer equipment, better pay, some companies faster trucks. more drop and hook, having a spotter to help you back and slide tandems. Cons: Trusting your life with another driver and vice versa while sleeping. Compatability with other driver. 2.Yes. Some companies split the mileage pay and pay you every dispatched mile. Example .25 miles x 6000 dispatched miles=1500 gross, or .41 mile times 3000 miles split=1230 gross plus other bonuses, incentives etc. 3.Just in time loads(JIT) are loads that have set appointments that as soon as you pull into the dock they begin offloading because the product goes straight off the truck to the assembly line. Meaning no long time waiting to get unloading. Drop and hook freight as well, as long as your company have empty trailers where you deliver. 4. It all depends on you and your co driver. If both of you have the right mindset and matching personalities and both run hard, you could probably make 60-70k plus easily. I know a few teams that have grossed over 140k combined.
If you go team, I recommend pulling reefers. I'm at covenant transport right now pulling dry vans. The miles with dry van are alright but not so consistent. I hear the covenant reefer guys pull 5000+ miles on a weekly basis. A lot of coast to coast freight coming out of california.
