While CDL-certified operators are in high demand across the country, companies are especially interested in attracting team drivers. In fact, many companies focus on making sure that team drivers are responsible for the routes that serve their most important clients. Why the premium on the team drivers? It’s simple. Where a solo driver can haul for 11 hours between mandatory rest times, teams generally switch off for rest time and drive time, which enables them to run virtually non-stop.
However, while choice routes are wonderful, it can be challenging to find a team partner who you are comfortable working with each week. That’s where your spouse or partner comes into the picture. Who better to sit in the seat beside you than the person you share your life with outside the cab?
Take the short quiz below to see if team driving with your significant other might be for you!
- Do you have a lot of flexibility in your life?
Whether you’re newlyweds and not quite ready to add to the family yet, or empty nesters, if you have a fair amount of flexibility in your schedules and the ability to spend time away from home each week, you would make a great candidate for team trucking.
- Do you both enjoy travel?
Although a few thousand miles on the road hauling freight is different from a vacation, trucking is a great way to see new places and meet new people while doing your job. Do you and your spouse enjoy road trips over the weekend or for vacation? Then team trucking might be for you.
- Do you enjoy being around each other?
Trucking teams spend many hours in a cab together each week, but partners are generally either resting up for their next shift or driving while their partner rests. This allows the partners to cut the trip time by half of the traditional solo driver. So, although you won’t be spending every waking moment in constant communication with that special someone, you will still be close to them for extended periods of time, and they will be there when you need them.
- Are you generally accepting of your differences?
If we’re honest, some of us are perfectionists, and it’s hard to let things go when someone is doing a job differently than would. This can be especially hard for team drivers, as you and your partner will be doing the same job together. Add to this equation that, if you are an experienced operator and your partner is new, they will inevitably do a few things differently.
- Do you and your partner take coaching well?
Having someone you trust there to coach you through the complex in’s and out’s of the trucking industry can be a major advantage. Your partner’s ability to take your coaching and respect your experience can make the transition to the cab much smoother. Likewise, your ability to respect the ideas and work of your partner can create an amazing partnership, making the amazing career even more rewarding. Being guided by the same company’s safety and efficiency standards will get you off to a great start.
- Is your partner looking for a career change?
You know that trucking is an amazing career and that the pay, benefits, and work itself can be wonderfully rewarding. So, why not “double-dip”? Team driving can be just as lucrative for both team members as it is for the solo driver. Also, job stability is guaranteed as that amazing ability to deliver freight so quickly puts the team in high demand.
- Is Your Nest feeling empty?
It is natural to feel let down when you make the shift from having kids at home to having adult children, off and on their own. If your partner is feeling that emptiness that used to be filled with cooking, cleaning, and shuttling kids, maybe it is time to make the switch from that newly empty home to the cab. Actually, for this reason, 50-55 year-olds are the fastest growing age demographic of team drivers nationwide, as they make a transition from a career at home to a career on the road with their partner.
Interested?
If the idea of increased income, choice routes, and seeing the country together still sound appealing, then contact a Carter representative today at 1-(877) 628-6806 to find out about becoming the next great on-the-road team!
