Husband/wife team - should I drive or be the assistant?

What are you calling late in life? My wife didn't get her CDL to join me until she was 50 years young. She is a Tiny woman,and was content just riding along even in the Cabover days. Life was good then one day said she was going to get her CDL.

 

Be the assistant first and then decide if you want to get your CDL or not... Living in a truck is a HUGE change in anybody's life... some adapt but others don't.... You won't know until you live it for a while... Money wise teaming will be much "better" but might be more stressful depending on how you guys work as a team, and you will not have much time for each other... depending on how hard you run... Good luck!

 

If you drive team, you can make the same money in less than half the time. It just depends what your goals are. Make a couple of runs, go home for two weeks. Not a bad way to pay the bills.

 

That was awesome!

 

Get your CDL Sis.

 

Whoa !!!! Husband usually does the backing ? My wife would never wake me to back up. We are both qualified and able to do everything needed. We did have responsibilities we shared, she was great with planning showers and places to shut down if we needed too. My skills were to diagnose air leaks, replacing lights or engine codes.

We actually like each other but not to the point we need to cling to each other. We teamed for many years and loved it. Btw,,we quit our office jobs in our early 50's. She went out first and liked it, I went to night school till I decided I was ready to hit the road. She made me drive solo for a few yrs so I could build my skills,get lost and figure out how to get back on track.only then would she let me team with her,,,she was also listed as the #1 seat since the truck was issued to her. Lots of give and take but I would recommend teaming with your spouse.good luck.

 

I would suggest him getting his CDL first, ride along with him and try sleeping in a moving truck without having the obligation of being a team. Hint: The roads ALL pretty much SUCK everywhere! If you can sleep in a moving truck and feel like you're tired of seeing hubby all the time, go ahead and get your CDL. Then you can pass each other on the way to the bunk Be careful getting your CDL and just riding with him, some companies will not let you ride if you have a CDL license. My wife and I just came off a Class B expediting team job. Neither one of us could sleep while the truck was moving and we saw less of each other than when we worked opposite shifts at our local jobs. So she's going to ride with me as my "assistant" in a tractor trailer.

 

Nothing says if you team, you have to keep the wheels turning 20 hours a day, 6 days/wk, 28 days month.

You can be a super-solo [at most any carrier] where you can extend the truck drive-time maybe 4 hours a day over his time. This is especially practical during the 3 months either side of summer peak daylight hours but also useful during winter months to make up for snow/ice delays assuming you'll be able to find a parking spot at the end of the day where you end up.

This way you can have some bonus income, enjoy the sights, and not burn yourself out. If you later decide the lifestyle suits you both and want to really pocket some money for early retirement, you can go somewhere you can be well-utilized as a team, and make some money. A full-bore husband/wife team with 12+ months experience each can write their own ticket and are a highly sought after commodity.