So What Is Teaming Like (Just An Overview)?

Well I teamed with SNI for a month when I first started with them. You and the person you team with better have some set rules and consideration for eachother. Luckily I had a great team driver, got along great and never had to worry about him killing me or vise versa. You also better be able to sleep in a moving truck, its pretty hard to do on those rough roads. You also have to decide who's going to do the night driving. Keep a set schedule, dont try to change hours around, it will lead to frustration and fatigue. Our schedule was from around 8 or 9pm to 8 to 10pm. The hardest part about driving the night shift is when 4am hits, and also trying to sleep during the day. You get traffic jams, brake checks because of more traffic(more stupid four wheelers on the road). I drove nights for a 2 week stretch and it was nice the first couple of days, but let me tell ya, when 4am hits you get real tired fast. But if you can sleep in a moving truck and the person driving nights can sleep during the day it will be cool. As for storage, it can get pretty packed in there. I just kept my stuff on the driver side, and he kept his stuff on the passenger side. Plus the upper bunk and under the main bed. One thing I would suggest is getting a decent mattress for the truck, maybe a memory foam if you can afford it. Trust me it will help a lot, we had a sealy posturpedic and that made it alot better. Hope this helps and good luck with Schneider, they treat their drivers pretty well compared to most.

 

While Schneider is a good company, I personally wouldn't go to work for them right now if all they're hiring is teams. Having been a trainer and running teams with an ex-girlfriend I have no desire to ever team with anyone again. Twenty-four hours a day for weeks at a time is a long time to be in a cramped up space with another human being, even if you do get along or even love the person you are with. There's no doubt in my mind that my ex-g/f and I would have split up if it hadn't been for us teaming. We were just together ALL the time. Wasn't as good as we thought it would be at first.

When I trained, it was different than teaming, but the fact remained that I had to share time and cramped space with another person.

I'm not telling you what you should do, just telling you what I would, or rather would not, do given the situation. There are more companies out there than just Schneider. I know this forum loves that company and for good reason, but there are a lot of other good companies that could hire you as a solo driver and possibly even pay you more per mile. If this is your first driving job I think teaming will give you a negative concept of the industry and how much fun this job can really be if you want it to be.

Just my $.02

 

Since you've never teamed before,it won't hurt you to try it,you may like it,with the right person its not bad,with the wrong person its more bad than you can imagine. Most of us don't like teaming.nothing like going solo,but you might like it,some folks out there love it. Just give it your best shot,think before you talk,if you haven't got good to say,try to day it will class,like talking to your wife or girlfriend. Is your new team mate blonde,or brunette,I'll go,just kidding.have a good one and best of luck.

 

You need to get along with your team mate. It doesn't work out if you are at each other's throats. Night driving was my favorite!

 

Your in a truck that rarely stops. Teaming is very hard. It's not for everyone.

 

you dont keep a set schedule you mix it up, some lazy //// rather drive in the day time and make the rookies do the night driving but if you do 10/10 or 11/11 its keeps changing and everything is fair cause in the event you break down at night and your in the shop all day cant sleep in a chair at the shop truck is fixed next night guess what your turn to drive again. communication is a keep when you stop to get fuel plan your meals and showers at the same time you can alway get a shower while the truck is being fueled. If he is hip hop and your country can be a lil tense cause some people dont realize they have another person in the bunk and the most important before you get comfortable and go to sleep sit up and get a feel for your co-drivers driving ability if you dont trust him dont go to sleep you might never wake up. find a new co-driver R.I.P ICEMAN he was told dont take that guy he is gonna kill somebody. he found out the hard way, use you instincts

 

teaming is extremely rough, youre dividing an already small space between two people for periods of 3 weeks or longer at a time most likely and the miles will wear on your body and not many people sleep well in a moving truck,if at all...

i remember trying to sleep and you might get "rest",but there were weeks where i might of only had 10 hrs of sleep that entire week.. the pay is LOWER often, in cents per mile terms,but overall it is on average a higher overall net pay,but not by alot! the company is the beneficiary in this ordeal, youre almost better off in prison sharing a bunk with another inmate, free food, you can get a tv, and shower every day.

not worth it imo,unless you have a nice dedicated account and youre married to your codriver (two incomes one household).

 

I ran team, but didn't do it over the road, so I had my downtime and a break from the other person. However, even back when I was married, I spent more time in the tin can than I did at home with the woman I loved, so getting along and having a good repertoire with your co-driver is truly important.

Sleeping in a moving vehicle takes some getting used to. Once again, driving skills and courtesy go a long way towards the quality of your co-drivers rest.

Both of my long term co-drivers were night owls. I was not, so it worked out good for me. They didn't like the traffic, DOT and driving during the day. I'm not a nocturnal person by nature and have a hard time sleeping when the sun comes up. Once again, these are things to iron out before you roll out. Everybody can adapt, but it's a whole lot smoother if it's figured out beforehand.

The only way I would really want to run team again is if I ever hooked up with a lady trucker and was in a relationship with her. Husband and wife teams work out real well for the most part, as long as the personal relationship is in good standing. But as far as 2 men cooped up in a truck goes, sooner or later, it gets old.