Two Drivers one truck

If you see two lot lizards walking thought the parking lot holding a cup, just move along.

But seriously....

The truck gets the numbers, each driver has a log book, keep the last 7 days of logs in the truck and the rest get sent to the office.

 

IFTA and DOT numbers are assigned to the truck . Each driver needs his own log book . A DVIR needs to be filled out for the truck and trailer each day .
You really need to learn a lot more about required documents and record keeping before you even start thinking about buying a truck .

 

You log as team drivers, each with his own log book. You need to study how teams log.

 

I would say based on your question that the both of you need ALLOT more time in trucking before you try this little adventure in my opinion .

 

Never go into business with family or friends.

You will end up hating each other, and ruin your relationship.

Their isn't enough money in it for two people and one truck, unless running teams.

 

I agree. family/friends and business do not mix. you should give urselves some more time. that aside, where are you going to get the capitol to run the business on for the first 5 years? do you know anything about sales? or do you know anything about how to run a business? plus where are you going to get the loads from? and how do you plan getting the brokers to pay you? plus for the first 24 months your in business. the d.o.t. and the fmcsa are pretty much going to be living with you. that means. your first 4 years of income are spent. by the time you hit the fifth year. it's time to replace the truck. so you have to figure out as you go from day one. how much your going to need in 5 years to buy another truck. plus you still need money to live on. you have to keep atleast $10k cash in the bank at all times to cover the maitance of the truck. plus permits, fines, and other unforeseeable things. the mc/icc and the d.o.t number are for the business. and not the truck or the driver. ooida is the best ones to talk to about getting the legal end of it together. they are built to help o/ops get started.

 

From my experience getting back into trucking and teaming with my brother (he's an O/O) we found that you can't double the income to the truck as a team. Expect about a 160% increase in revenue compared to a solo driver. The reason you can't get 200% more revenue is because it's almost impossible for each driver to log 11 hours behind the wheel during a 12 hour shift (if you are splitting the day into two 12 hour shifts) on a long run. With fuel breaks and rest breaks you will average about 9-10 hours, and much less if you have deliveries, pick-ups, or you are waiting for dispatch.

The company you work for is also critical. Some companies are geared toward team driving and may have a lot of "drop and hook", so you might be able to approach that 200% increase over a solo driver. However, many smaller companies may say they will maximize miles, but they often are dispatching loads that for delivery appointments in 3 days when a team can get there in 2 days. That was often the case when I ran team with my brother. Usually we would arrive 8-36 hours before an appointment and would have to wait, or we would sit and wait for a new dispatch. We usually had a 34 hour restart every week because of this.

This 160% increase reality is what prompted my brother and I to split up. He's still O/O with the company he's leased to (but looking for a better situation) and I've hired on as a company driver (in training now) to get my year of experience under my belt to start looking for greener pastures and my own O/O situation.

I agree that the questions posed in the OP seem to indicate both of you need to either get more experience or do a lot more study before taking the plunge to buying your own truck. Read through the O/O section of this forum and do your homework. Have at least $20-30K in the bank AFTER you buy your truck and set aside $0.13 per mile for your maintenance account. Nothing will put you in the poorhouse quicker than having insufficient funds to deal with a major mechanical breakdown, especially if you break down while loaded. Many companies will charge you for any costs associated with having another trucker come get your trailer and make delivery if you can't get to the appointment on time.

Good luck!

 

I agree 100%!

If you want to be an O/O you need to learn a lot more about the trucking industry.

If you are interested in someday owning/co-owning your own trucking company. I would recommend finding an on-line degree program in transportation & logistics or at least a degree in business or business operations.