Interested in Team Driving

Above all you need to be safe, you can not be safe if your not getting good sleep a few times a week.......I think all truck drivers get fatigued at times, its just the nature of the job. When I team drove as a newer driver (after several weeks of training with a qualified trainer) I was on a dedicated route and basically the truck was in motion unless we were taking a shower or waiting on a load and made really good money.......but it was because of all the miles, not because of the CPM....it was kinda low, but we turned so many miles each week, I was making much more then my buddies that went solo after training. Here was the problem.....sleep. My co-driver was a great driver, was very
courteous while I slept, no jerking the truck etc.......but I found it was so hard to sleep while the truck was in motion. I tried all the tips from the oldtimes but nothing worked, all that wind out west in the plaines, the truck winding against the governer all night, etc. I think when your with a trainer, you will get a taste of it........maybe it will be a fit you?

Teaming operations of husbands and wives work best, where the full .50 a miles goes to the same household 6k miles a week......$3000 to the house! Thats if they dont get lazy and start running the operation as a "Super Single" (some companies will drop the team if you do, as they need to keep that truck moving)

 

I been in team driving for while now,its not easy at first but you gotta work it out.I'm in the expedited business and I'm a IC driver (1099).What I do is if I need a teammate I talk to them on the phone first and just chat,if I don't get a good vibe I just move on.As living in the truck with someone I don't know,its not easy but after a while you just gotta trust your teammate,as for sleeping in a moving truck takes some getting use to also but you'll get use to it.

 

i have always slept great back there. When i went to school in 1990 we went for 2 weeks, then out with a trainer for 2 weeks and and teamed with another guy out of my school. i guess i just hoped for the best and went to sleep lol.

 

CRST is the largest all team company. Teaming presents alot of challenges, but there are also some benefits for a new driver. Having someone to help with backing and navigation etc. is a great benefit for any new driver. It can however be difficult to find a partner that you can live with. CRST will provide you with a list of names of people from your general area that are looking for a co-driver they seperate the lists by smokers vs. non-smokers.

With CRST you earn 1 day home for each week out, so that will give you your 3-4 days home per month.

I am not by any means promoting CRST, just telling you how they work things.

However, educate yourself on these forums concerning CRST or whatever company you are interested in.

 

I find the sleeping in a moving truck is a subjective thing. Personally I sleep great in a moving truck (when I'm not driving of course), the motion rocks me to sleep. When I was with my trainer I would go to sleep and wake up at a rest stop 10 hours later and be yelling at my trainer for not waking me when it was my turn to drive lol. He would say we had plenty of time on the load, but I'd feel bad as he would be napping in the drivers seat.

 

To answer your question about whether a company would entertain the idea as a new driver, the answer is yes. Companies love guys who want to team. Finding a partner will probably differ from company to company. Don't get stuck on going to a team only company as pretty much any company will have teams. Some of the smaller ones will require you to find your teammate as they won't pair you up with one.

I teamed right out of training and liked it. I had no problem sleeping with the truck moving except on some horribly rough roads. When we were running a dedicated from Salt Lake to LA area you pretty much weren't going to sleep through Provo or northbound on 15 past the 210 to the bottom of the pass. Arkansas is hard to sleep through for the entire state. That construction in Provo was the worst though. Some of the crossovers they have are brutal whether you're awake or asleep.

The money was good as well. Taking home $800/week was a horrible week two months into my career. $1000-1200/week was pretty common. I use my wife's benefits though so you could have lower take home when you consider what you pay for medical or other things that get deducted like child support if that applies.