Is Team Truck Driving for You?
When it’s time to make more money, many truck drivers consider driving as part of a driver team. It’s a fact that team driving jobs are more lucrative than solo driver jobs. The goal of a driver team is to keep the truck moving as close to 24/7 as possible. There are many pros to this type of work. But being a team truck driver is more than a notion. There are some points definitely worth considering before accepting a team driver position.
Temperament
Most team truck drivers will say that the most important factor to a successful driver team is compatibility. Whether you choose your truck driving partner, or you’re paired up by your trucking company, team drivers have to be able to get along and tolerate each other. Husband and wife teams tend to make the best driver teams and are the most sought after by driver recruiters. A quiet driver may not pair well with a talkative extrovert. A mild-mannered truck driver may hate working with someone who has a short fuse.
Experience
The ideal truck driver team would have a shared skillset and experience. Is your prospective partner a brand-newtruck driver who’ll need guidance? Or are you a recent trucking school grad looking to work with a patient experienced truck driver trainer? It’s important to decide how much experience you’ll want your driving partner to have.
Skill
Regardless of your truck driver partner’s experience, his/her truck driving skills may or may not be a dream come true. Unless you already know your new partner well, you won’t learn about those skills until you’re out driving over the road. Does your partner have a lead foot? Can he/she shift without giving you whiplash? Do you feel safe closing your eyes for your off duty driving hours while your partner drives?
Driving with a partner has its ups and downs. There is much to consider before taking on work as a team truck driver. For some truck drivers, life in a moving vehicle is a perfect setup. For others, the pros sometimes don’t balance out the cons. You’re sharing a small space with another adult. It helps to get to know the other truck driver well in the beginning. Sometimes you can ask your driver recruiters to pair with a driver partner with a similar personality to your own. Take time to learn about his/her background and interests. Most importantly, learn what your truck driver partner wants out of this driving job. Is the goal just to increase earnings, work into self-employment, put him/herself through school, payoff trucking school? Establish an understanding of the work situation at the start.
With patience and understanding, being a team truck driver can be a perfect move, bringing in extra earnings and elevating your driving career to the next level.