Wondering about teams

They say that driving with a partner is like being in prison. I have teamed and I have been in prison. The are not the same thing.

Driving with someone you don't know is not really a problem. 11 on 11 off your day moves ahead 3 hours each day. You have to reset but it only takes 24 hours. Not the 34. So you pick up in a non stop rotation. It is very difficult to sleep in a moving truck. You do get use to it but I took ambien. Don't do that. You do not see much of your partner so it is like driving alone that way. You have to keep the truck very clean as your mess will pis s someone else off. You need to talk to the other driver as soon as something bothers you. If you don't it will grow bigger and pi ss you off.

I believe teaming is something you do for companies like Fed Ex. There you can build for your own truck and route. I enjoyed my partner with Keystone Automotive. 3 years and he was always there. Of course I drove more then that son of a bi t ch did. He always had a way of screwing me over.

 

Well It depends on your level of trust in someone you do not know. I drive team with my wife, who has driven longer than I have! She grossed 120,000 a couple years ago, We have grossed double that for the past couple of years and seem to work less than when she was solo!

 

I like driving team, but do it with a good friend and I highly doubt I'd run team with anyone else. I wouldn't even team with my wife. It's not something I'd do with a stranger. Hard to beat the pay of 27-28k miles a month at a much higher rate than I'd make solo though.

 

Yes the pay can be different, but mainly it is dependent on who you drive for, how effectively they can maximize a team, and how they pay the team. Not all team fleets are the same, and as with every other aspect of trucking, you'll have good weeks, bad weeks, and mediocre weeks and the critical thing is what makes up the "norm". A solo driver may consistently make more money at one carrier vs half a team driver at another carrier, and vice versa. Bottom line, there is no "one answer" as there are too many variables on the solo side and on the team side.

I can tell you, if a team fleet's avg length of haul is under about 1,000 miles, it will be tough going for those teams to run 6000+ MPW, consistently. Coast to coast making up a large percentage of the hauls is ideal for teams. The longer the avg haul, the better, and same goes for solo operation too for that matter.

 

Scott Im still thinking about CRST even with all the negative Information, Im calling my recruiter to make sure I get the dedicated route.. but Im going back and fourth about it scheduled for training class on the 17th...thought you decided against CRST? The terminal is in Morton,Illinois and Peoria to Denver home every week maybe I can stand some BS for that, don't want to be on the road for 6 weeks at a time.

 

update I'm not going to drive a truck, going to Flight dispatcher school instead good luck guys you gave me the information to make my decision that trucking companies are not worth giving my life to...

 

Yeah Ditto Scott decide what you want to do and go for it!!!