Re-Thinking Team Driving

Thanks Davezilla. You've truly added a lot of different perspective to the subject of team driving here, after predominantly negative comments in this thread by most. You gave me some new things to think about.

 

If both of us are awake, one of us will do paperwork and the other will pretrip the trailer. Or sometimes we will both pretrip at the same time. Only have to work about 10hours a days... Just enough time for your co driver to get his/Her 10 hour sleep...a lot better than busting your ### off running 11hours a day not including shippers,fuel,etc... Today is sunday, just finished the pay period with 6000miles and both of us still have 12 hours left on our 70clock. Most of the time we are not a under time constraint. Don't have to stay the night at truck stops...I sleep like a baby in the moving truck.

I am content with teaming my first year. Most likely going local after a year or two. But it feels good making money my first year right away. Or maybe a team gig where we can get weekends off. It wasn't easy at first but we eventually got along better.

 

I prefer running in 12 hour shifts in order to keep my biorhythm. Running 10 or 14 hour shifts will start to cause you to slide off that schedule.

 

So, are there companies that encourage team driving? Say you don't know anyone to parter with, I heard someplace there are some company that help match drivers to team (by home locations? Or?) Also, is it harder for a woman to find a team-mate than a man... I've heard because there are so few women drivers a woman will end up teamed with a man -- not the end of the world, provided the other person isn't "wierd" ... The question is, if you don't know anyone to parter, WHERE does one get "teamed"?
Thanks in Advance
VW

 

US Xpress and Covenant are both team oriented companies. USX has over 1000 women drivers. Lots of those are part of married teams but there are a lot who are not.
They will help you find a team-mate if you do not have one. Lots of people pair up in orientation.

 

If you want to be treated well, team in a company that is mostly solo drivers. In companies with teams, all teams are equal. In solo companies, teams get special treatment.

For instance, at Werner...all our new trucks go to teams and million milers. Teams absolutely get treated better in any company that has both teams and solos.

Companies like covenant and US Xpress are horrendous companies even compared to Werner. We are just average, but Covenant and US Xpress are nightmarish. They do things like penalize you for going out of route, or even getting too much fuel at an approved fuel stop. The only companies worse than USXpress is CR England and CRST.

Companies like bar nunn, Crete, and prime are excellent teaming companies. Conway seems good as well. There are so many choices, Covenant and US Xpress should never be one of them.

Not to be a jerk, but it's true. They make Werner look good! That's when you know someone is a complete failure. We are starting to get loads of US Xpress drivers over here.

 

Thanks for your input! Makes perfect sense...

If I'm looking toward a company that doesn't "Focus" on teams, how do teams get partnered in that scenario? Assuming you're an old Hermit with the social skills of an Aardvark, never mind a rookie in a very demanding trade.

Being a total "n00b" (an old lady n00b at that) I don't believe I'll have the option of being very picky. Will have to spend the first year on a less than optimal gig? From everything I've researched all new drivers has to do a month or more with a trainer (GOOD IDEA... like I would insist) and some companies want team time after that.

At this time my main criterea for selecting a company would be the one providing the BEST training and worry about being picky after I have more experience

THANKS
VW

 

Best training is prime, hands down. Their csa score just doesnt show it because they hire people who learned English from watching 1980s sitcoms. Prine has the longest program I have seen by far, and great pay for students. Despite hiring total zipperheads, they have one of the best csa scores for a starter company, and not bad for any company at all. Definitely worth looking into.

I train for Werner, Prime is our main competitor in Misspuri, and they really stand out. My account has a place right down the block from their main terminal in Springfield MO, and the place is nothing less than glorious for a trucking terminal. They push the lease hard, but in my time in their local freighliner dealer...I've never once heard a complaint. Seriously, a trucker not complaining...is extremely rare.

The only reason I haven't tried them myself is because I feel it's my responsibility to care for the students who come to Werner like I did.I do it for them, because God knows I could get better pay, treatment, and trucks somewhere else.

Werner is a great fallback, I always tell people to put an app in "just in case" you don't get approved by the company you really want. But definitely try for Prime and Crete Carrier.

 

my husband has been working for crst for going on 5 months now he statred out with a team driver who he roomed with through school, but just this last home time , his co-driver jumped off the truck and out of the contract to go work for another company, now my husband is stuck with out a co- driver and crst doesn't run solo so they stuck him with a temp driver and she leaves tomorrow and the dispatcher has no one else lined up and no runs so he will have to sit....if you are into it stick with it i say give it a chance.

 

Thank you for the info.
Just to clarify is the 1K each as a company (team) driver or as O/O. Also is that what you deposit in your bank account after taxes and all other deductions (i.e. 401k, medical, lease if O/O, etc.) or gross?
Thank You.