Confused And Discouraged

Brand new to this forum but I have a dilemma. My husband has been doing regional routes for 10 years. He would really like me to hit the road with him as a team. I am 52 and just got my CDL learners permit in the mail but have not yet enrolled in a driving course because we just can't find a company to work for that will accommodate my goofy scheduling needs. So here it is. I have joint custody of my 15 year old and get him every other week for an entire week. Because he is only 15 and I still want to spend as much time with him (and we are homeschooling), I want to work only part-time. So, out with hubby on the road for a week (give or take) and then home for me and he can do solo for a week or so. Starting next Spring, my 22 year old daughter also wants to get her CDL and pick up opposite weeks of me. Basically, in the Spring my husband would be full-time teaming with myself and my daughter alternating. Once my son is done with school in 3 years we plan on going full OTR. I know this is a CRAZY situation but just wondering if anyone thinks this is possible. Most companies I've contacted think it's a great idea, but could be tricky. I realize that the week is approximate and I'm not always going to make it back when I would like which is fine because my son's dad is flexible if we can't make it back on time. The biggest issue I have is all of our more local companies require 6-12 months experience. This is not really a career I wanted to do by myself, even for only 6 months and whole point of me doing CDL training would be to drive with my husband. At this point we've looked into either leasing a truck or going full owner operator but a lot of companies that we could sign on with also need at least 6 months experience. So for now I'm discouraged and have put enrolling in driving school on hold. So hard because I want to do this right now and not wait another 3 years. We also live in Northern Wisconsin. Any advice?

Hi Maria,

My wife is going to be going to school in NOV to drive with me as well so she will be brand new also. We ran into a similar situation with the experience. The only company I found so far willing to allow her to come on and me train her is Carolina Logistics. We are owner ops, but they may work with yall.

Hi guys... Maria, what you are asking for is highly unlikely for several reasons.

I'll start with getting your own truck... the percentage rates for a loan and the insurance is astronomical for first time buyers. If you already have an LLC and can establish credit with it, then it would be easier... but insuring an inexperienced driver is extremely extremely expensive, which is why many of the smaller local companies want the experience. Most of the larger training/mega carriers are self insured, which is why they can afford to train.

The only company I know of that could do the 7 out 7 home is Roehl. Whether they would allow that for teams, I do not know. The logistics of doing this is improbable. Most teams are run coast to coast, not regional or local. Yes, you can run a team 3,000 in less than 3 days, but due to customer delays and other obstacles, I cannot imagine too many companies being willing to do this.

Another issue is that even after CDL School, you need to get trained by the company for several weeks to months depending on the company. If you want your husband to be your trainer, he will probably have to work at the new company for a certain period of time before he is eligible to train, regardless of his 10 years of experience.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your situation. If you find anything, i would love to know.

Hi Maria,

My wife is going to be going to school in NOV to drive with me as well so she will be brand new also. We ran into a similar situation with the experience. The only company I found so far willing to allow her to come on and me train her is Carolina Logistics. We are owner ops, but they may work with yall.

We have found companies that will take us as a team, (Schneider is our best bet and willing to work with us), the problem is my goofy scheduling thing. Think I'll be waiting until Spring and take the driving school with my daughter and everything should work out ok. They've got a dedicated team route we can do with one full-time driver (my husband) and two part-time drivers alternating. Best of luck to you and your wife :)

Hi guys... Maria, what you are asking for is highly unlikely for several reasons.

I'll start with getting your own truck... the percentage rates for a loan and the insurance is astronomical for first time buyers. If you already have an LLC and can establish credit with it, then it would be easier... but insuring an inexperienced driver is extremely extremely expensive, which is why many of the smaller local companies want the experience. Most of the larger training/mega carriers are self insured, which is why they can afford to train.

The only company I know of that could do the 7 out 7 home is Roehl. Whether they would allow that for teams, I do not know. The logistics of doing this is improbable. Most teams are run coast to coast, not regional or local. Yes, you can run a team 3,000 in less than 3 days, but due to customer delays and other obstacles, I cannot imagine too many companies being willing to do this.

Another issue is that even after CDL School, you need to get trained by the company for several weeks to months depending on the company. If you want your husband to be your trainer, he will probably have to work at the new company for a certain period of time before he is eligible to train, regardless of his 10 years of experience.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your situation. If you find anything, i would love to know.

Yeah, I'm finding all this out now. I think the best thing for me to do is wait until spring and my daughter and I will go to school at the same time and we'll all start together. Schneider has been great trying to accommodate us with my goofy schedule but in the spring we can drive as a team with one full-time and two part-time drivers and Schneider will let us finish our driver training with my husband after orientation and possibly some training with someone else. I know anything else would be a logistics nightmare.

They are a good company. good luck.