Deciding Between Husband And Wife Team Driving Or My Husband Solo Driving And Me Riding Along....

Thanks to everyone for their help. I think we have decided he will get his CDL and I will wait at least a year, ride with him, and then we can decide from there what to do. All of you have helped us to realize that him having me there to help him and both of us not trying to learn at the same time will probably be best for us. After a year, I will most likely get my CDL and then we can team drive and work our butts off for a few years and sock away any money earned. We really appreciate all the help we have received here and will continue reading everyone's posts to gain as much knowledge and understanding about the trucking industry as we can. We have a college not too far from here that offers CDL classes but if we choose any companies that sponsor training....like Swift or Prime...is their any one company that stands out above the others? Of course, like everyone else we've read the horror stories but try not to take too much stock in them because we fully understand that OTR trucking isn't an easy job and with the good comes the bad. Thanks!

Ricky....thank you so much for the information! I would never have guessed that the rider couldn't have their CDL though it makes perfect sense why companies wouldn't want to take the chance of a rider driving when they aren't employed by the company. Thanks so much for pointing that out!!

David...I will check out all the resources you listed and can't begin to tell you how helpful those resources are. Like I've said before, we've done over a year of research but it seems most of what you read is company bashing....some deserved I'm sure...but I am more interested in finding a stable company that we can build a career with. I know we may bounce around at first but we really aren't bouncers....once we sign on with a company we are pretty dedicated...so choosing the best one to get the best training etc...means the world to us as beginners. Thanks again!

A lot of people on this site go with Prime, and they sound great. However, I ruled them out because I was told that all the new people get lightweight trucks, which are smaller, and I felt there would not be enough space for me and the dog. It would be tight for you both in there full time.

True, Prime does give all new drivers a LW truck. But if you have a passenger with you they usually give you a fullsize truck - especially if that passenger will be a future driver. So don't lose all hope. However, make sure your husband tells them from the start that he needs a fullsize truck because you will be with him. He must not let this be a surprise by telling them at the last minute. Make sure your trainer knows, and also his DM knows.

Having a LW truck is a compromise. You're giving up comfort and space for more income. These trucks are very popular at Prime Inc., but they can also be found in small numbers in other carriers. The pay increase for driving a LW truck is .05 CPM. Which doesn't seem like a whole lot but its actually pretty significant. Here's some math:

If I drive 1000 miles as a LW. I will make an extra 50$ pay for driving a LW. That's 50$ PER 1000 miles. So if you drive 2,500 miles in a week you have just earned an extra 125$ dollars in that week. Do that 4 times in a month and that's an extra 500$ that you otherwise wouldn't have earned if you were a fullsize truck.

For more information about Lightweight trucks, check out my thread below. Yes, I have a thread about everything!

Inside Daniel B.s LW Truck

Thanks to both Deb and Daniel....I will start researching Prime and an upside is they are near us so no move involved. I've also heard some good things about Swift so maybe check into them as well. Some drivers are saying it is more worthwhile to pay your own tuition for your CDL rather than have to be tethered to a company for a year or more if they pay for your CDL training....any thoughts on that??