Need advice from successful husband/wife teams.. PLEASE

Hello GungHoGal,

While my husband and I are not yet team drivers, we are hoping to be soon, I thought I might be able to help on your request. I've been reading the archives at pumpkindriver.com and there are tips from husband/wife teams on splitting driving. Most teams support your idea of a 12-hour shift. Many do a 3AM to 3PM and 3PM to 3AM others do a 2 to 2. Regardless of when they pick up or drop off a load, they stick to their shifts. The reasoning, as you say, is to have a "regular" shift that one can adapt too. They also stay on their home time zone regardless of which time zone they are in.

Safe travels.

 

stay on schedule. Try talking about his driving and if he don't stop try showing him what its like. Thats what my wife would do to me. Other than that talk about everything.

 

I run solo. I still argue with myself on what shift I will drive.

 

while i,m not a driver i know when my wife and i are driving our cars we each think we are the best drivers and the other brakes to hard. lol so your husband must think he is driving pretty good.

i can only suggest you drive like he does ( pretend you are driving solo ) and see how that goes. lol i am not taking your side over his as i am about to pm you, to ask him about tandem transport. lol

i agree with sandman-- a team needs to talk and agree on things if they hope to be successful- in marriage and driving. goodluck

 

You too? Me, Myself and I fight constantly for control of the wheel at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes it's a diplomatic discussion and then other times it's a hostile takeover. And that's the reality of my life. ​

 

I finally got my wife to join me on the road and she is through training. We are on a cross country dedicated run from Camp Hill Pa to Montebello Ca and back. A little under 5200 paid miles round trip.

I trained her and now we get to do a little hustling. Having said that I let her drive what she wants. She does not have the stamina I do and probably never will. I say that because she doesn't like to drive, hates driving at night, and is only doing this to shut me up.

So because she was soooo generous in acquiesing to my demands I try and make the job as easy as possible on her. I am doing the lion share of the work while she plays movies, surfs the net, plays her pogo games, or talks on the phone. I will not say we are running completely legal under the current hos but we do get the job done.

I think the key is give and take. I used to start my day (when I ran solo) around 8 or 9 am and shut down around 10 or 11 but now I find myself running into the wee hours of the morning and letting her have the daylight hours. Of course she only is good for about 5 to 6 hours in general but I make it up (1 way or another).

 

Nice man there! I am sure your wife will work her way up to bein able to pull as least most her time. It does take a bit to get used to it. Although i threw myself into 11 hours and it was rough some days but with no team driver to do it--i had no choice sometimes. I am sure she will get up there close to you--of course--men do push themselves sometimes and you are prolly used to it by now!

 

This is a bit off-topic but, does this situation put more stress on the marriage, or take it away?

 

Nah. I wear the pants in my family (my wife gave me permission to say that!). Haha just kidding!

She is a good girl and after 20 years of being together as a couple and 18 years of marriage we pretty much have a system for dealing with 1 another when we are annoyed. Usually just ignore each other for a while and "agree to disagree" on whatever the topic was and leave it alone.

My earnings have dropped considerably from making around 1400.00 per week and taking home around a grand to about grossing 11-1200 per week and taking home 7 to 800. Thats quite a drop.

She understood the necessity of joining me to take advantage of my companies new team division and to protect our earnings in the coming recession. With the 2 of us working together we can have our financial house in order (debt free) within 2 years. Now we are making just under 2500.00 per week and taking home about 1800 of that. This is a mighty big incentive for her to stay with it.

It just takes the 2 of you working for a common goal and setting aside any differences for the common good.

As for a stress reliever that comes later on when we park it for the night and get to snuggle up with 1 another! Sleeping with my best friend (my wife) at night puts a smile on my face every time.