Team Driving

Okay havent been here in a while but had a few questions regarding team driving... 1. Is it worth it 2. Is .2575cpm really a good starting point 3. Why is the pay so low? Please advise...

1. Is it worth it? For me, NO. The extra couple hundred isn't worth the hassle if sharing space smaller than a jail cell.

If you can find the right person. (Not a rolling booty call) then short term maybe. But it can deff burn you out. The few that I know that still do it to pad their earnings only do it for 3month stints.

.25 is about average for rookie drivers, it's so low because you'll be doing double the miles. Think in terms of 5-6k miles per week on the low end.

Never teamed, never will. Not a fan of sharing a small space with another driver, wouldn't be able to sleep soundly in a rolling death machine, I get enough miles by myself to not need the extra money.

I drove team for over two years and like everything in this industry it comes down to performance.

The only reason I wasn't willing to team drive right now is because I wanted my son to come out with me. Now that he is back in school I would team if I found the right codriver.

You need a codriver that runs the same way you do. If you're a hard runner you dont want a mediocre codriver and vis a versa. Agree on a set of ground rules for the truck i.e.: no shoes in the sleeper etc.

The benefit to teaming is usually more miles and you have an extra set of eyes if things get dicey.

Paywise you need to make sure if they are paying split miles or splitpay. .2575 on all miles is the same as .515 for half the miles.

I have teamed with the wife for the last two years.

.2575 should be your pay for all miles the truck turns, which can be double the miles a solo driver runs. So if you and your teammate run 6,000 miles in a week you earn $1,545.

Is it worth it? Most people on here would say no. It's a little bit more money usually, for suffering the team lifestyle.

For me, when I was solo I would take home around $1500 on a 3,000 mile week (in a lightweight truck). Teaming I take home around $2,000 on a 6,000 mile week. That is after taxes and benefits, and includes fuel and other bonuses. Length of haul is generally longer on team loads, lots of coast to coast. Still get some short runs with shorter time on them, or repower solo drivers that are behind on their runs for whatever reason.

Teaming is a more difficult lifestyle than solo otr. The truck is always moving, so we don't shut down at truck stops too much. I sleep on a moving truck, the rest of my break is taken on a moving truck. Sometimes I wonder if my brain is getting rattled like an NFL player.

We can shut the truck down for 24 hours and get both of us a 34 hour break, or shut down for ten hours and get one driver his 34 hour reset. A solo has to literally shut the truck down for 34 hours. I can't emphasize enough the truck doesn't stop moving.

You will be with the person all the time. Now when you are driving they will likely be in the sleeper most of the time, so you get to still experience some of the solitude while you are driving. But, you and your teammate have to be able to let stuff slide and get the job done. Sharing a truck 24/7 seems to be tough on some folks. My wife and I don't really fight, but we get a little catty from time to time.

Solo is definitely easier, and I would advise anyone to give that a shot first unless it was like a couple wanting to run together. Money isn't everything, and running OTR is a pretty big sacrifice without throwing teaming on top of it. I enjoy it though.