Good Day Big Strapper. Thanks so much for watching the video. How about you? What's been your personal experience driving team? Love it or hate it? Love to hear from you!
With team driving you need to be with someone who had similar values and work ethics. When I started training I had someone out of truck driving school. I said if he did anything that put our lives in jeopardy, your done. We're got to California and pulled into Banning scale, he didn't heed my advice on keeping the log book up ro date and planned us out of service. I got woken up and had to talk to DOT and he said my driver was placed out of service for 2 days.
Second best job I had trucking was in a team. Scheduling was the key. I read most of the comments on this forum, and NONE of them knew how to schedule their driving for good results. The old 4 and 4, or 5 and 5 don't work well. As most of them pointed out, they are always tired. My team mate and I had a schedule that ensured we were more well-rested at the end of the week than when we started the week. It worked great, and I'd do it again. Here is the secret: Change drivers at 4 a.m., noon, and 8 p.m. It solves all the complaints that were mentioned. 1. Each driver could go to bed when he needed to, in order to be ready to go at the next (known) shift change. 2. No one got stuck driving all night, every night. 3. More conducive to people's circadian rhythms. 4. Usually was able to take advantage of lunch specials at truck stops. 5. No getting sleepy when the sun comes up. 6. We'd reliably cover 1050 miles every 24 hours; more that any of the teams running any other schedule. 7. No problems with potentially running out of hours. 8. Always fresh and rested.
Hi, When I first started driving in 1987, I started driving a team operation with my step father as he was training me to be a driver. We drove together for 10 years. We did not have trouble with sleeping with the truck driving down the road, the only trouble we had was when it came to unloading or loading the truck. We knew what each of us expected from the other when that person was driving. I made a joke to my stepfather and said you better not have an accident where we die because I will never talk to you again. It took my stepfather 5 hours to get the "joke."
The ol lady and I have been running team for over 9 years. I dont agree with you on the body gets tired at night I have always been a night person. My ol lady and I have a rule if you are tired and don't feel 100% damn the load pull over and go to sleep.
I used to team drive the night shift. It definately takes a while to get used to. You gotta fight the bodies natural causes circadian rythem, trade off for less traffic I guess.
I've been driving as a team driver for the last 13 + years I drive in Canada only from Toronto , Ontario to Vancouver B.C me and my co-driver we do 6 hour split shifts we switch at 3 am in the morning so no one drives full night shift ! it really works its easier on the body and we are both alert , and awake .
Great points. When I was doing team runs from California to NYC me and the other driver swore to each other we would never drive sleepy. We would rather shut it down. I also loved driving nights. Absolutely no issue keeping awake. Loved the open lanes and rolling through the mega cities at night.
That is nice, I love the cities without traffic at night. But you still get those stupid a-holes that shouldn’t be our at night going 10 miles below the speed limit. Luckily I only get a few of them at night.
We need to stop letting people sitting behind a desk make the rules. It needs to be done by people that know what it is like to actually sit behind the wheel.
The carriers are getting into diversity. They want drivers just smart enough to drive truck, but too dumb to complain. Office workers don’t know what to do with drivers who complain. If you have legitimate concerns and hold strong, the carrier will capitulate. A lot of time, you’ll have to find work arounds for the incompetent people you will run across and issues you will have.
My Son and I ran team for awhile, we made more $, got the loads there quickly, but made less profit, and wore out our equipment quicker. It didn’t take long to decide driving two trucks making less money per truck but making more profit, was a good decision.
I’m the senior driver, I let the junior driver pick which shift they want. Driving nights is a different skill set compared to driving days. Most of my teammates have picked the day shift.
i drove for years solo. Never had any big problems with tiredness, etc. Took a new job driving teams. It was horrible. I was tired all the time. I was paired up with scum drivers no one else would touch. Ran like a bat-outa-hell. I ended up having to stop driving all together from sheer fatigue. It drove me out of trucking completely.
It’s in my swift trailer.....unfortunately I’ve sent it into the ditch and laid it over and now it’s all leaked out.....sorry the hope you ordered can’t be delivered. 😂
In my opinion, team driving is a rip off. You can't sleep properly, you still make almost the same as solo and you have to share a prison cell with someone else.
I tell all my teammates that the ETA is just a guideline that is calculated by an office staff member that does have to interact with the reality of weather, traffic, road construction, shipper delays, consignee delays, truck maintenance, etc. As long as we are maximizing our hours and roll as much as possible, my teammates should not worry about the ETA. In truth, Werner recalculates the ETA when you get about 100 miles from the destination. There really is no pressure, as long as the driver realizes that if he has 3 or less accidents, he can apply to nearly any carrier, get hired in one or two days and start as soon as next Monday, unless he wants to take a little time off before he starts his job at a new carrier. And you don’t really have to quit, you are your own boss. If the carrier pressures you about ETA and you’re already maximizing your hours. Say I’ll quit politely and see how fast they will back off.
The outfit I ran team with we were classified as Expedite freight. So we bumped the dock were glad we were there. Private fleet our own products. Had a ball. Back in the day
Team driver A stops the truck on the shoulder of I-90 in Montana in winter time-climes out of truck-lights a cigarette and clockwise starts to mosey around truck and trailer checking tires & lights. Driver B’s bladder wakes him up and notices rig stoped on shoulder and driver A at back of trailer smoking cigarette. Wearing only tighty whiteys sticks his feet in his boots leaving them unlaced. Climes out of truck and stands next to passenger side duels in the snow an begins to urinate on tires. Just then the engine of truck goes from idle to power and driver A & rig leave driver B standing on side of road holding on to his dick! Driver B starts trudging East in direction of truck trying to flag down sparse traffic getting crazy looks from people going by his starting to hypothermiate half naked ass. A Montana State trooper eventually saves him in the nick of time and takes him to the closest truck stop where they find Driver A in restaurant having cup of coffee thinking driver B is still in the bunk sleeping?
I run teams with my brother, we leave out of Denver, drop and hook in Seattle to Chicago then back to denver. We've been running that for about 2 years now at around $5 per mile with weekends at home.
mehice unacuentanueva you can think of it what you want. We run chemical tankers, I wouldn’t do it for less than 10k a week, specially with the shit we haul.
@@johnny7121 If you're running decks for a good outfit, you can get over $3/mile for good loads, and if they are running outsize or specialized freight, I can imagine getting close to $5 with the fuel surcharge. Never going to do it with a van.
I have driven teams the last two years and it has worked. If you're teaming it all depends on your Co driver. If they are solid it works and of course, one as a driver has to be solid also. We made a decent amount of money together wheels were always turning.
I was a trainer for swift I never ran as a team my students did most of the driving and all of the backing when they got close to getting off my truck I would go into the sleeper and watch them drive so they can get used to being by them self I also had a rule no cell phone until we were done driving and we talked about the driving for the day and if they tried to use there phone while driving they would no longer be on my truck I get them to a terminal and have them removed for using a phone
I went to school to get my CDL from CRST and my recruiter never told me that they are a team driving company. So, I had to pick a partner from some shit head that I went to school with that I didn't know. If I had another guy that I trusted to be my co driver then I might consider it. I have a friend who he and his wife are both drivers. He is on a dedicated run and gets home every weekend too. I lasted a month and a half with the partner CRST assigned me because I hadn't come in with a partner. I would buy a big bag of chips during my driving time, roll them up and put them in the storage area above the seats. When I woke up to drive again, I looked for my chips and he had thrown them out. When they had been rolled up tight and weren't in his way. He was just doing it to be an asshole. I lasted a month and a half with this guy. He wasn't a bad driver. But he was a terrible person to work with. When the two of us went to Christmas break, my driver manager told me that I needed to find a new partner because he requested not to work with me anymore. I found another job instead.
I went through the same thing at crst. Went through 3 drivers. I was making good money as VanEx doing caterpillar dedicated loads. But all my codrivers would constantly stop and what not. They was always stopping. Didnt know how to use the qualcomm. Didnt know how to back. Etc etc. Wouldnt shut up. Couldnt handle driving night shift. Couldnt read an atlas. But then i started thinking maybe im the problem. But idk. I teamed up with a dude here at swift doing target dedicated runs. Its pretty badass rigjt now. Even though i took a paycut.
What makes me worry even more is cr England has 3 beds in the truck? Is the trainer supposed to be up 24/7? Is the trainee supposed to train the other trainee while the trainer sleeps? How's in the world is that supposed to work?
My inability to sleep in motion was a major factor in why I went solo and stayed that way. It doesn't have to be that way. You could definitely install a motion cancelling bunk. But no body has done it yet. But we have the technology.
I ran teams with my brother for a year and a half. I agree that it can be dangerous because I couldn't get good sleep in a moving truck. However driving at night was my preference because I don't like dealing with some of the other drivers during the day truckers and 4 wheelers competing with each others to get ahead. I just couldn't stand it. Till this day as a solo driver I still run at night. I find it peaceful and never have a problem finding parking in the morning when everyone is starting their day and heading out. That's just me
Same here which why I always drive tired when I drive teams. Constant jerking, hard bumps, and motion sickness in the sleeper berth are what kills my actual sleeping time regardless of duty status. It's dangerous, and super frustrating.
Back in the day teams (in the U.S. at least) had the option of splitting the sleeper berth 4 on 4 off or 5 on 5 off. That way you were tired enough to fall asleep when it was time but also not too much time to try and stay awake. It also gave the added benefit of no one having to work the entire night shift. That being said, I drove team for 6 months back in the day with a good friend. After those 6 months we were almost coming to blows. We split up and remained friends. Keep up the good work. I love your videos and stories. Fair Winds.
When I was being trained at Crete towards the end of the run we tried out driving team, maybe put a little more money in his pocket (I absolutely could have said no he was a very good trainer) we made a run out to California and back then told each other this shit don't work it's just not comfortable enough to sleep. We wound up just running half and half for a total of 14hrs drive time a day. It was pretty nice felt more like a road trip than working. They had a term for this, super solo, I believe, basically for drivers running with their wife or husband that has a CDL. You're not gonna make enough money doing it for two seperate guys to get good pay but as intended it's a nice way to make a little more money if you live in the truck with your partner.
thats one good thing about crete's training is its not forced team driving the trainer is supposed to be in the seat watching until the end super solo but thats only if you want to
If I quit local delivery the thing that drove me the most towards looking at teams long haul was being able to just keep running nights. I hate being awake or working in the daytime anyway so it’s just been a career goal to stay with the shift I work best on.
I ran team mail run out of Des Moines to Salt Lake City. I could talk all day about the things that you see and happen on 70/80 but I'll keep it short. After a year of team running(only sleeping 3 to 4 hours a day) the night driving in the mountains and across wyoming didn't seem worth it. I took a week vacation and went back for a week. After that week off, I realized I wasn't happy. 3 months later was the best choice I ever made. Spent the summer at the lake with my son.
I was so tired while i was team driving in training, i got into an accident while diving through out the night with barely any sleep. Thank god i survived. Team driving in miserable
Never ran team all my time of driving. Had a friend that would fall a sleep while driving tanker Haz one he fell a sleep he plowed the truck threw brush and trees. Got a break from company the next time he was hauling freight with van fell a sleep run team he got killed the other bad condition they hit over pass. Better to run single.
Thank you so much that's one of the best videos I've ever seen on trucking. I'm a new driver at CR England and I've always had a bad feeling about team driving.
I found the best shift split for teams is noon to midnight. That way both driver get equal amount of night driving and sun. I always let my team driver pick his shift because I don't want my teammate killing me because he's tired. If the load picks up during your shift and you only have 3hrs left till midnight, your going to be working those 3hrs. So that way you can keep a sleep schedule. I don't do the well I drove last so it's your turn or I'm almost out of hrs so you're going to have to drive. And if the roads are icy, we're both sitting up front seat belted in. Also if you're tired, pull over and take a nap. You're now responsible for another life while driving. Safety first.. ALWAYS! Schedules always come second to safety.
I did team driving briefly for a large grocery distributor. You said it perfectly about not truly sleeping while going down the road especially with the amount of city driving that was involved. I always tried to mind the other guy sleeping by watching my turns and not getting on the throttle too hard from a stop so the air bags didn't shake the truck. Didn't even make it a year doing that because I didn't feel comfortable sleeping with someone else behind the wheel because I knew most days I was way too tired to drive myself. Now I'm happy to be solo again where I make the call on pulling over when I'm too tired. I feel bad for the new drivers who get roped into team driving just to get the experience needed to move on.
My company gave me a choice to either run flatbed or team. Im so glad i chose flatbed! I love being alone and doing things my way. I wouldnt argue with a co-driver- i would just give in to whatever they want to do.
I'm a team driver and i love it. I have zero problems sleeping while moving. Also. In regards to circadian rhythm... regardless of the load or position i will always get to drive 3am to 3pm every single time. As oppose to solo id have to get up at 2am one day or 5pm another day. With teaming i get a set sleeping cycle. I'm also paid 25 cents a mile team rate (aka 50 cents solo rate). So i pull in $1300 every single week
I'm a solo driver but I do everything I can to avoid driving during the day buty dad was a repoman who worked at night and every job Over ever had I worked the nightshift. Driving at night is great though, a great deal less traffic and I can set cruise control and get the most out of the 11 usually.
Me and my brother have our own authority and we leave out Sunday morning and be back Thursday morning. We don’t be at rush at all. We drive 8 hours a day so we make sure we get our rest.
I'm a trainer and the second phase of training when we team, I take the night shift. Honestly you can speak for yourself when it comes to sleeping. I honestly sleep better on the road than in truck stops.
We are starting up with new trainee owners. I retired 12 years ago from heavy haul and am retuning to help train the next generation. Obviously there are allot of changes to adapt and overcome. Thanks for your streams they are very helpful.
i did team for 3 years and you said everything i would have to say about team. if it were up to me i would make it so the truck stops for 6-7 hours for team drivers. at one point i almost went into the ditch because i fell asleep at the wheel had it not been for those rumble strips you find on the shoulder. you somewhat get use to it but trust me when you are on single and have to go back to team you realize how much it sucks
Mann , you said a mouthful. The pay is exactly correct. Only team pay that’s acceptable is @ UPS . In 40 years I only did a team rum short term back n the early 90’s for a week from HOU-El Paso back to back. Great insight!
Drove team with my best friend for praxair. Excellent pay. $1500 per week after taxes if you can get a good trip. Best truckin memories I’ll have for a long time. That being said, a moving bunk is a scary place to sleep in the winter.
I used to drive team for first trucking job. Good for learning because one of us could get out of truck to watch/guide. Split the night shift, never run one guy all night.
Sir, I gotta say your on the money with this. Teaming can be very tough. And when they tell you that ther is a fine if late on a very tight load, it does put pressure on you.
Ran a 17 hour shift during my learning period at a company I worked for. Me and my mentor were taking shifts, so we had already planned out how we were going to take shifts. He was going to drive from his home (where he had his truck) to the harbor where we would pick up the first container (75km). I was going to drive to the first offloading point (240km). He was going to drive to the next harbor where we were going to change container (50km), as well as to the next offloading point (190km). We were going to change shift half way home from the last offloading point since it was getting dark but I volunteered to drive the whole way (215km). I had slept from the second harbor to the last offloading point so I had gotten about 1 and a half hour of sleep in the passenger seat. Just lean back and put a pillow on the small table in front of you to put your legs on and it's actually quite comfortable. This was in a Scania S520, so it's quite a roomy cab for a cabover.
My husband and I have been team driving for 5 years now. I took a lot of Dramamine to get through the motion sickness. After a few years of taking the Dramamine, my motion sickness eased up. The one thing I wish for team drivers is a break longer than 30 mins for exercise. We sit so much as team drivers with no exercise. Solo drivers get a 10-hour break without the truck moving and teams do not. OMG! I would also enjoy an On Duty Shower Status for team drivers...we are the stinky people in the truck stops. Our showers come during our 34-hour restart...if we get a 34-hour restart. Safe Travels everyone.
My hat's off to you, team trucking for that length of time would be pretty tough! All I can suggest is that good teams are very much in demand so if you need to take a little extra time here or there, just do it for sanities' sake! Stay safe!
Been there done that for almost 20 years . 1995 - 2014. been through the windshield upside down 1 time. Partner was old school and the wet spray coming off the tires of the cars on the road told him it was not frozen..... we had water over ice. In a cab over International. Mile maker 6 north bound I-95 Lumberton. Pulling out of the welcome center north bound and he shifted up at about 50 mph and we was sideways in 1 sec. we rolled off the road and i flew through the wind shield . just finished a smoke and said i am getting in the bunk see ya in 10 hours .... turned to get in and he said oh shit. I look back and we was side ways. at 50 + mph with a 53 foot trailer. woo hoo. I hit the ground knees first shattered them and fell to my side still in a seated position. The cab landed on its side in front of me. I was 2 feet away from the deer fence on the side of the interstate.They say i flew almost 40 yards. I reached out and touched the front of the truck trying to get up and passed out due to the pain.Blizzard of 96 everything iced up. Armellini the company i worked for had 2 roll overs that day in a 2 state area. About 3 feet is all that kept me from being under the truck.
As a pilot if I have an accident the NTSB attributes to fatigue everyone gets in trouble, me, and the carrier. It makes no difference if I have legal hos.
No way no how can a person get good quality sleep in a moving truck! I tried it when I was "training" with my trainer sleeping while I drove. It was exhausting trying to sleep when he drove. Team driving in my opinion should be outlawed, because no freight is that important to force a sleepy team to deliver it!
I tried teaming; I’d never do it again!The truck is only about the size of a small bathroom and for two people that makes spaces pretty small. Another thing is that two people have a hard time getting along spending 24/7 together in such a small area.One other problem is experiance , does the person that you’re teaming with have good driving and safety habits, if not it can be a scary thing. Nothing like being in the bunk and your co- driver is going off Cabbage at over a hundred miles per hour because he burned out the brakes!
I used to drive for Werner. Driving across Wyoming in a 65 mph truck sucks. I'm independent now. Being able to drive the speed limit makes the trip much better.
I ran team for 10 months. I chose the night shift, I've always been a night owl and preferred driving at night. I slept well enough also while the truck was moving. That is until we hit a pot hole that would launch me out of the bunk. I stopped teaming for the usual reasons, tired of sharing the truck with someone who wasn't my wife, tired of always moving, and tired of sleeping in a moving truck.
I was in TNT training with Prime a week ago and everything was going well but I wasn’t getting any sleep; I ended the training and got off the truck because I wasn’t getting any sleep and when I expressed this to my trainer and my fleet manager both suggested that I should take zzzquil and just suck it up and get used to it.
You didn’t go through all the benefits and some of the negatives. More money, longer home time, bigger shippers and consignees, so easier places to back up a tractor trailer. Trainers only teach so much, a more experienced teammates can close the gaps in training and help with your backing. I’ve had to teach all my teammates how to set up for the half 90 / half 45 which Smart Trucking made a video on. The one big negative that I found was those that can handle their sh*t rarely want to team. If you’re the competent one, you’ll have to train up the other guy. Other advantages are, work fewer hours, split some of the work load, if the truck needs repaired, it usually only affects one of your shifts and the truck is rolling again, so you don’t lose as much or any money from down time.
Team driving is especially unsafe when both teams are inexperienced drivers! I've been a solo driver since I finished with my training. Western Express wanted me to start training before I had a year of experience and I said no. While I've had nothing but good experience when I did team driving, I would rather remain solo for the remainder of my driving career. As of the beginning of this month, I've survived my first year of truck driving. The only casualty I've ever had was a porcupine. There was too much traffic to swerve to avoid it, so the little critter ended up meeting his maker. I had to get both of my drive tires on the passenger side of my truck changed, but yeah.
I ran team back in the 80's and 90s. Back when you could split drive and sleeper time. One co-driver wanted to drive ten hours at a time the other one wanted to do 5 on 5 off. I liked the 5 and 5 better because I couldn't stay in the sleeper for 10.
I remember going through prime inc student driver program 4 years ago. My driving instructor had to be in the driver cab passenger seat while I had my permit for the first week or two then I got my license, but I was still training after getting my license but they had us run as teams right after I just got my license it was a horrible experience
I drove for 26 years and it only took one trip driving team for a week to make it my one and only.I found I couldn't sleep well because of the movement of the truck and my co driver always did the switch by pulling off the side of the road and I did mine at a truck stop.It also mattered that I couldn't truly trust his skills no matter how good a driver I thought he might be.
LMAO, I can't sleep in a truck that doesn't move. Wife and I have been rolling for almost a decade same company we started with. We ran so much we wore out our first truck, 1.5 million miles before mechanical issues.
I am brand new ... just out of school and will be teaming with my husband. I hope we can figure out how to do it safely so neither one is driving only night hours. I guess we will find out soon.
I totally agree! I'm team driving(training right now). I m the less experience driver. I do all the night driving,mountain driving,foggy conditions bad conditions driving. I told my trainer I don't feel safe wen it was snowing,he got mad told me this job isn't for me. Jus trying to finish this team/training driving and get my own truck.
When I first started trucking I “teamed” with my instructor for two weeks. I’d been the passenger in a 4 wheel accident that kept me mostly hospitalized for 4 years so I thought I’d have a problem with sleeping … but I didn’t … but I’ve been sleeping in motion most of my life (sailboats, family car trips, long train rides). We also didn’t really “Team Drive” … there was a lot of overlap … We were Training not Teaming so the schedules weren’t crazy. Still, I won’t “Team”. I have a problem even “Sharing” in a rig. I simply don’t trust another driver behind the wheel on a regular basis. I also can’t really accommodate another person when I’m driving. I dress comfortably and drive “cold” preferring 55-60 degrees, I drive with both windows partially opened (“cracked” for fresh air), I keep the music (or college courses) on at a reasonable volume and I use the CB a lot. These things work well to keep me very alert. Also, I can’t stand a person talking on their cell phone because it becomes “White Noise”. Also I take “Cat Naps” whenever I feel the need … 10 to 20 minutes sometimes less will clear my mind’s desire to “rest” … I don’t know why. I can wake up after a solid 7-8 hrs, get on the road, and in less than an hour my mind is trying to shut down. If I take a 15 minute “Cat Nap” as crazy as it sounds, I’m good for 8 to 10 hours (for the rest of the “Day”/Driving Period) … its kind of like a “Reset Button”. NEVER Drive Tired. My rule is if I shake my head on three occasions, I pull over. I “Cat Nap” &/or stretch my legs. I won’t get back on the road until I’m sure whatever it is has passed.
I used to run team at miller transporters. We only had experienced drivers doing it. We were both always so tired because we couldn't sleep in a moving truck. Don't do it guys it's just too dangerous.
I only Ran Team while i was an apprentice in Training with "The fleet Teacher" aka the *Godfather* for the first 3 months to know the ropes of the job , then after i got his blessings they let me run solo for my Rookie year .
This was one of the reasons I ran away from CRST when I got the chance to. I'm a loner and am not fond of people. But they force roommates on you and force team driving. The fact that they waste your time, delay reimbursing you, and lie just adds on more reasons why I got fed up and snuck away when they tried to force me away from my trainer and force me to team drive. I might have put up with them if they didn't force team driving......but these slave masters were just too much. And it's a huge issue if you try to take my freedom and treat me like a peasant.
Cb radio is good way to talk to other drivers, sometimes. Also get a ham radio take your test , be legal with it, and there is always someone to talk to. But me, I want drive as a team driver. That is to small of a space for two people to live in. Another thing is I can't get no rest when someone else is driving. If a company told me I will have to start team deriving, I would find me another company to work for.I will not team drive.
I use to work for CRST and did team driving and it was so miserable. I'm now solo with Werner and I'm so much happier. Hell i even brought a bike with me for when i have down time
I hear what your saying. I was a rookie driver and my co-driver drove from 12 noon to midnight, the rock star shift, while being the rookie he had me drive the majority of the red zone hours. From 4am till about 6:30am I struggled to stay awake and focused. I didn't drink Red Bull or coffee either in an effort to sleep better in a moving truck. I finally told him I was leaving the truck unless he would split the red zone hours evenly, he consented but, then struggled himself to stay awake. Nevertheless, I prefer team driving for the money and so many more advantages it offers.With my company, 99% drop and hook, more cross country miles, very little waiting if any between loads, more fuel reward points=more free showers which are $15.00 a pop at Pilot and flying-J. The sleeping on a moving truck I got used to. If the shift change over is an hour at a truck stop you can take a relaxed shower or grab a bite to eat and still have 10 plus hours to sleep, yes some if the rough roads will jolt you awake but you often can fall back to sleep rather quickly. For me the biggest con was my shift. When I went from starting at 12 midnight to 3am and from ending at 12 noon to 3pm it made all the difference. So, having a shifts that suit both drivers is number one for me. I would also add that teaming two rookie drivers together should be against the law. Team drivers should h ave at a very minimum 3-6 months solo driving experience with a trainer in the right seat not sleeping in the bunk.
Circadian rhythm isn't dictated by daylight cycle. If you have a established day sleep/night work routine its fine. The circadian rhythm works like this. If you are usually awake at 5am, by 3-330pm you hit a lull. It gets me everyday, I am most complacent at work at this time. As I am feeling tired no matter how much coffee you drink it always happens.
Hubby and I switch at 2 and 2, so neither of us are running straight nights. We're getting used to it mostly, we've only been driving for just over a year.. Still hv times we have trouble sleeping though, and all it takes is a message saying we don't feel safe driving driving until we've had a nap...we get a message about 'safe and legal' and that's it. Sometimes they'll swap our load, sometimes not.
I ran team in the 90s and there was no day and night shift because we switched every 8 hours. I never had any trouble sleeping in a moving truck. It was good with a good partner, but my company eventually broke us up to each run with new guys, which I hated. Driving with a different guy every week, and some of them really sucked, one had a minor wreck while I was sleeping. It was a great experience when I teamed with my wife for a bit in the 2000, I liked not having to deal with finding parking to sleep. Been LTL local p&d for 18 years now since then.
Good Day Big Strapper. Thanks so much for watching the video. How about you? What's been your personal experience driving team? Love it or hate it? Love to hear from you!
Hate it! You have to adjust your lifestyle for them. If you enjoy listening to the radio at night we’ll now you cant
I was thinking about teaming actually, I work for Pam trans, but I think I’ll stick solo, the sleep thing really gets me
Teaming ended my marriage.
With team driving you need to be with someone who had similar values and work ethics. When I started training I had someone out of truck driving school. I said if he did anything that put our lives in jeopardy, your done. We're got to California and pulled into Banning scale, he didn't heed my advice on keeping the log book up ro date and planned us out of service. I got woken up and had to talk to DOT and he said my driver was placed out of service for 2 days.
I asked what happened and was told, called the company and I was told to put him on the next bus back
When I get lonely I just talk to myself. Have great discussions and excellent answers
I argue with myself. Worst part is that I lose most of the arguments 😅😂🤣🚛🚛
I thought I was the only one!
@@Tony-5000 You beat me to it. 😂
That's funny!
Right lmao, I’m sure if people heard me alone in the truck they’d think I’m crazy lol
It hard enough to live in a truck, I'll be damned if I'll live in a truck with another person.
Exactly
Wife or gf is one thing but a driver no way.
A puppy to keep me exercised, is all I need.
Unless he/she is Hot. Lol
Second best job I had trucking was in a team. Scheduling was the key. I read most of the comments on this forum, and NONE of them knew how to schedule their driving for good results. The old 4 and 4, or 5 and 5 don't work well. As most of them pointed out, they are always tired. My team mate and I had a schedule that ensured we were more well-rested at the end of the week than when we started the week. It worked great, and I'd do it again. Here is the secret: Change drivers at 4 a.m., noon, and 8 p.m. It solves all the complaints that were mentioned. 1. Each driver could go to bed when he needed to, in order to be ready to go at the next (known) shift change. 2. No one got stuck driving all night, every night. 3. More conducive to people's circadian rhythms. 4. Usually was able to take advantage of lunch specials at truck stops. 5. No getting sleepy when the sun comes up. 6. We'd reliably cover 1050 miles every 24 hours; more that any of the teams running any other schedule. 7. No problems with potentially running out of hours. 8. Always fresh and rested.
In 20 years I have never gotten lonely enough to drive team.
Having my cat in the truck ended up being all the company I needed.
Hi,
When I first started driving in 1987, I started driving a team operation with my step father as he was training me to be a driver. We drove together for 10 years. We did not have trouble with sleeping with the truck driving down the road, the only trouble we had was when it came to unloading or loading the truck. We knew what each of us expected from the other when that person was driving. I made a joke to my stepfather and said you better not have an accident where we die because I will never talk to you again. It took my stepfather 5 hours to get the "joke."
Can't trust anyone driving while I'm sleeping.
Yes sir I wouldn’t get any sleep.its hard for me ride as a passenger in the passenger seat up and alert.
Hell, I cant trust anyone driving when im awake as well....
The ol lady and I have been running team for over 9 years. I dont agree with you on the body gets tired at night I have always been a night person. My ol lady and I have a rule if you are tired and don't feel 100% damn the load pull over and go to sleep.
Its a general thing applies to most ppl. There will always be night owls who can do it but normally the company doesn’t ask that question.
Really wish more drivers felt that way. A late load is always better than falling asleep at the wheel pushing it too hard.
Night driving is great for night owls, less traffic.
I am a habitual night owl..fall asleep in the day time, the sun is my moon 🌝
Love night driving. It's less stressful too.
I rather drive at night. I'm a night owl.
I used to team drive the night shift. It definately takes a while to get used to. You gotta fight the bodies natural causes circadian rythem, trade off for less traffic I guess.
@@chrismetz1388 me too.
I've been driving as a team driver for the last 13 + years I drive in Canada only from Toronto , Ontario to Vancouver B.C me and my co-driver we do 6 hour split shifts we switch at 3 am in the morning so no one drives full night shift ! it really works its easier on the body and we are both alert , and awake .
HOS rules in USA don't allow for 6hr splits. The best you can do is 10hr which screws your rhythm. Best to try and keep to 11-12hr shifts and roll on.
Great points. When I was doing team runs from California to NYC me and the other driver swore to each other we would never drive sleepy. We would rather shut it down. I also loved driving nights. Absolutely no issue keeping awake. Loved the open lanes and rolling through the mega cities at night.
That is nice, I love the cities without traffic at night. But you still get those stupid a-holes that shouldn’t be our at night going 10 miles below the speed limit. Luckily I only get a few of them at night.
Same.
We need to stop letting people sitting behind a desk make the rules. It needs to be done by people that know what it is like to actually sit behind the wheel.
The carriers are getting into diversity. They want drivers just smart enough to drive truck, but too dumb to complain. Office workers don’t know what to do with drivers who complain. If you have legitimate concerns and hold strong, the carrier will capitulate. A lot of time, you’ll have to find work arounds for the incompetent people you will run across and issues you will have.
Agreed this is ridiculous
I can't stand it when a corporate guy/gal who drives a cubicle tries to tell me about driving a truck.
Just because someone has been behind the wheel doesn't mean they're another scumbags who exploit drivers, (transAm)
I wouldn't trust my teammate and plus I don't want someone else in my truck. I'm a lone wolf.
My Son and I ran team for awhile, we made more $, got the loads there quickly, but made less profit, and wore out our equipment quicker. It didn’t take long to decide driving two trucks making less money per truck but making more profit, was a good decision.
I’m the senior driver, I let the junior driver pick which shift they want. Driving nights is a different skill set compared to driving days. Most of my teammates have picked the day shift.
My wife and I are team. For the most part we sleep well unless the road is really bad.
i drove for years solo. Never had any big problems with tiredness, etc. Took a new job driving teams. It was horrible. I was tired all the time. I was paired up with scum drivers no one else would touch. Ran like a bat-outa-hell. I ended up having to stop driving all together from sheer fatigue. It drove me out of trucking completely.
If we wait for fmcsa to take the drivers side on anything you're waiting for a load that won't be delivered.
It’s in my swift trailer.....unfortunately I’ve sent it into the ditch and laid it over and now it’s all leaked out.....sorry the hope you ordered can’t be delivered. 😂
In my opinion, team driving is a rip off. You can't sleep properly, you still make almost the same as solo and you have to share a prison cell with someone else.
💡💡💡 very smart person. I wish more truckers understood this.
Not if you are owner ops teams we banking
I tell all my teammates that the ETA is just a guideline that is calculated by an office staff member that does have to interact with the reality of weather, traffic, road construction, shipper delays, consignee delays, truck maintenance, etc. As long as we are maximizing our hours and roll as much as possible, my teammates should not worry about the ETA. In truth, Werner recalculates the ETA when you get about 100 miles from the destination. There really is no pressure, as long as the driver realizes that if he has 3 or less accidents, he can apply to nearly any carrier, get hired in one or two days and start as soon as next Monday, unless he wants to take a little time off before he starts his job at a new carrier. And you don’t really have to quit, you are your own boss. If the carrier pressures you about ETA and you’re already maximizing your hours. Say I’ll quit politely and see how fast they will back off.
Yep my carriers easy about it. Just send in an updated eta of what you feel is the time you'll get there. Can add in shower time too.
The outfit I ran team with we were classified as Expedite freight. So we bumped the dock were glad we were there. Private fleet our own products. Had a ball. Back in the day
team driving= less sleep
team training (1 trainer, 1 student)= good way to learn trucking
My trainer refused to run team. Smart guy.
Team driver A stops the truck on the shoulder of I-90 in Montana in winter time-climes out of truck-lights a cigarette and clockwise starts to mosey around truck and trailer checking tires & lights. Driver B’s bladder wakes him up and notices rig stoped on shoulder and driver A at back of trailer smoking cigarette. Wearing only tighty whiteys sticks his feet in his boots leaving them unlaced. Climes out of truck and stands next to passenger side duels in the snow an begins to urinate on tires. Just then the engine of truck goes from idle to power and driver A & rig leave driver B standing on side of road holding on to his dick! Driver B starts trudging East in direction of truck trying to flag down sparse traffic getting crazy looks from people going by his starting to hypothermiate half naked ass. A Montana State trooper eventually saves him in the nick of time and takes him to the closest truck stop where they find Driver A in restaurant having cup of coffee thinking driver B is still in the bunk sleeping?
😂😂😂 that’s great
🤣🤣🤣
I know this to be true to some extent. Smh
Sadly I believe it
This sounds remarkably personal lol
I appreciate the insight on team driving. The sleeping in a moving vehicle and lack of safety rails for the top bunk stood out for me.
I quit teams 2 months in . It's a very unhealthy lifestyle as well .
I run teams with my brother, we leave out of Denver, drop and hook in Seattle to Chicago then back to denver. We've been running that for about 2 years now at around $5 per mile with weekends at home.
so if you both drive 1000 in 24hs, that means $5000 per day? yeah sure Hhahahahahahah get a life.
mehice unacuentanueva you can think of it what you want. We run chemical tankers, I wouldn’t do it for less than 10k a week, specially with the shit we haul.
$5 a mile? You must be hauling nukes.
@@johnny7121 If you're running decks for a good outfit, you can get over $3/mile for good loads, and if they are running outsize or specialized freight, I can imagine getting close to $5 with the fuel surcharge.
Never going to do it with a van.
mehice unacuentanueva Amazon pays $4 - $4.50 for teams so I believe it. 6,000 miles $24,000 no surcharges
I have driven teams the last two years and it has worked. If you're teaming it all depends on your Co driver. If they are solid it works and of course, one as a driver has to be solid also. We made a decent amount of money together wheels were always turning.
I was a trainer for swift I never ran as a team my students did most of the driving and all of the backing when they got close to getting off my truck I would go into the sleeper and watch them drive so they can get used to being by them self I also had a rule no cell phone until we were done driving and we talked about the driving for the day and if they tried to use there phone while driving they would no longer be on my truck I get them to a terminal and have them removed for using a phone
You trained them well , they're still not trained
I went to school to get my CDL from CRST and my recruiter never told me that they are a team driving company. So, I had to pick a partner from some shit head that I went to school with that I didn't know. If I had another guy that I trusted to be my co driver then I might consider it. I have a friend who he and his wife are both drivers. He is on a dedicated run and gets home every weekend too. I lasted a month and a half with the partner CRST assigned me because I hadn't come in with a partner. I would buy a big bag of chips during my driving time, roll them up and put them in the storage area above the seats. When I woke up to drive again, I looked for my chips and he had thrown them out. When they had been rolled up tight and weren't in his way. He was just doing it to be an asshole. I lasted a month and a half with this guy. He wasn't a bad driver. But he was a terrible person to work with. When the two of us went to Christmas break, my driver manager told me that I needed to find a new partner because he requested not to work with me anymore. I found another job instead.
I went through the same thing at crst. Went through 3 drivers. I was making good money as VanEx doing caterpillar dedicated loads. But all my codrivers would constantly stop and what not.
They was always stopping. Didnt know how to use the qualcomm. Didnt know how to back. Etc etc. Wouldnt shut up. Couldnt handle driving night shift. Couldnt read an atlas.
But then i started thinking maybe im the problem. But idk. I teamed up with a dude here at swift doing target dedicated runs. Its pretty badass rigjt now. Even though i took a paycut.
Truck with no lights at night, wreck happens, oh cause of team drivers. Been teaming 5 yrs with wife. Life is good.
What makes me worry even more is cr England has 3 beds in the truck?
Is the trainer supposed to be up 24/7?
Is the trainee supposed to train the other trainee while the trainer sleeps?
How's in the world is that supposed to work?
3? That's insane 2 is already too much
Really 3 bunks how take a photo I want to see this 4 myself.
How do you fit 3 beds?
@@kelvintorrence5994 search for it there is a few videos on them look for cr england trucks that start wit 30xxx
If you choose to work for cr england, you deserve to share a truck with 2 other people lol
My inability to sleep in motion was a major factor in why I went solo and stayed that way. It doesn't have to be that way. You could definitely install a motion cancelling bunk. But no body has done it yet. But we have the technology.
Ain't nothing going to cancel them hard breaks and highway craters 😂
One other advantage of team driving is much less need to find parking. In the USA parking after 7 PM is getting near impossible.
I only drove team for one month after that I always went single. Not enough privacy
I ran otr for 47 years by myself, and I liked it .keep the good job up.
Even when I drove solo. And they tried to force me to go night ( I can maybe 1 days) but after I need to sleep well. No load comes first than life
Just not enough money in the world to get me to run Teams again...never again. Great video.
I ran teams with my brother for a year and a half. I agree that it can be dangerous because I couldn't get good sleep in a moving truck. However driving at night was my preference because I don't like dealing with some of the other drivers during the day truckers and 4 wheelers competing with each others to get ahead. I just couldn't stand it. Till this day as a solo driver I still run at night. I find it peaceful and never have a problem finding parking in the morning when everyone is starting their day and heading out. That's just me
I agree, it's impossible to sleep with the truck rolling. I love driving solo. I pull off the road if I get tired.
Same here which why I always drive tired when I drive teams. Constant jerking, hard bumps, and motion sickness in the sleeper berth are what kills my actual sleeping time regardless of duty status. It's dangerous, and super frustrating.
Back in the day teams (in the U.S. at least) had the option of splitting the sleeper berth 4 on 4 off or 5 on 5 off. That way you were tired enough to fall asleep when it was time but also not too much time to try and stay awake. It also gave the added benefit of no one having to work the entire night shift. That being said, I drove team for 6 months back in the day with a good friend. After those 6 months we were almost coming to blows. We split up and remained friends. Keep up the good work. I love your videos and stories. Fair Winds.
When I was being trained at Crete towards the end of the run we tried out driving team, maybe put a little more money in his pocket (I absolutely could have said no he was a very good trainer) we made a run out to California and back then told each other this shit don't work it's just not comfortable enough to sleep. We wound up just running half and half for a total of 14hrs drive time a day. It was pretty nice felt more like a road trip than working. They had a term for this, super solo, I believe, basically for drivers running with their wife or husband that has a CDL. You're not gonna make enough money doing it for two seperate guys to get good pay but as intended it's a nice way to make a little more money if you live in the truck with your partner.
thats one good thing about crete's training is its not forced team driving the trainer is supposed to be in the seat watching until the end super solo but thats only if you want to
If I quit local delivery the thing that drove me the most towards looking at teams long haul was being able to just keep running nights.
I hate being awake or working in the daytime anyway so it’s just been a career goal to stay with the shift I work best on.
No way in hell would I ever run teams.
I ran team mail run out of Des Moines to Salt Lake City. I could talk all day about the things that you see and happen on 70/80 but I'll keep it short. After a year of team running(only sleeping 3 to 4 hours a day) the night driving in the mountains and across wyoming didn't seem worth it. I took a week vacation and went back for a week. After that week off, I realized I wasn't happy. 3 months later was the best choice I ever made. Spent the summer at the lake with my son.
I was so tired while i was team driving in training, i got into an accident while diving through out the night with barely any sleep. Thank god i survived. Team driving in miserable
Yup, I hated it!
Never ran team all my time of driving. Had a friend that would fall a sleep while driving tanker Haz one he fell a sleep he plowed the truck threw brush and trees. Got a break from company the next time he was hauling freight with van fell a sleep run team he got killed the other bad condition they hit over pass. Better to run single.
Thank you so much that's one of the best videos I've ever seen on trucking. I'm a new driver at CR England and I've always had a bad feeling about team driving.
I found the best shift split for teams is noon to midnight. That way both driver get equal amount of night driving and sun. I always let my team driver pick his shift because I don't want my teammate killing me because he's tired. If the load picks up during your shift and you only have 3hrs left till midnight, your going to be working those 3hrs. So that way you can keep a sleep schedule. I don't do the well I drove last so it's your turn or I'm almost out of hrs so you're going to have to drive. And if the roads are icy, we're both sitting up front seat belted in. Also if you're tired, pull over and take a nap. You're now responsible for another life while driving. Safety first.. ALWAYS! Schedules always come second to safety.
I did team driving briefly for a large grocery distributor. You said it perfectly about not truly sleeping while going down the road especially with the amount of city driving that was involved. I always tried to mind the other guy sleeping by watching my turns and not getting on the throttle too hard from a stop so the air bags didn't shake the truck. Didn't even make it a year doing that because I didn't feel comfortable sleeping with someone else behind the wheel because I knew most days I was way too tired to drive myself. Now I'm happy to be solo again where I make the call on pulling over when I'm too tired. I feel bad for the new drivers who get roped into team driving just to get the experience needed to move on.
My company gave me a choice to either run flatbed or team. Im so glad i chose flatbed! I love being alone and doing things my way. I wouldnt argue with a co-driver- i would just give in to whatever they want to do.
I got my CDL over a month ago. Been applying all over the place but no one is interested in hiring someone with no experience, crap!
I'm a team driver and i love it. I have zero problems sleeping while moving. Also. In regards to circadian rhythm... regardless of the load or position i will always get to drive 3am to 3pm every single time. As oppose to solo id have to get up at 2am one day or 5pm another day. With teaming i get a set sleeping cycle. I'm also paid 25 cents a mile team rate (aka 50 cents solo rate). So i pull in $1300 every single week
you should be getting paid better especially with what the rates were a year ago
I one hundred million percent agree with everything you've said on this video! Hopefully it'll open a future team drivers eyes to the dangers!
The fatigue level is dangerous as a team driver, nothing in it for you, except high risk.
Nothing a little monster energy can't handle. But too much of that poses its own risks
Bricklayerlz dp they should say that in an ad 😂😂🤣
I'm a solo driver but I do everything I can to avoid driving during the day buty dad was a repoman who worked at night and every job Over ever had I worked the nightshift.
Driving at night is great though, a great deal less traffic and I can set cruise control and get the most out of the 11 usually.
Me and my brother have our own authority and we leave out Sunday morning and be back Thursday morning. We don’t be at rush at all. We drive 8 hours a day so we make sure we get our rest.
So do ya'll take a 10 hr break after the 16 hr run?
Thank you for speaking up!
I'm a trainer and the second phase of training when we team, I take the night shift. Honestly you can speak for yourself when it comes to sleeping. I honestly sleep better on the road than in truck stops.
You sleep better with a trainee driving than in a stationary truck? Your IQ must be very low.
We are starting up with new trainee owners.
I retired 12 years ago from heavy haul and am retuning to help train the next generation. Obviously there are allot of changes to adapt and overcome.
Thanks for your streams they are very helpful.
Circadian rhythm. Thanks for the new information! Now I have a strong argument for my boss lol😁
i did team for 3 years and you said everything i would have to say about team. if it were up to me i would make it so the truck stops for 6-7 hours for team drivers. at one point i almost went into the ditch because i fell asleep at the wheel had it not been for those rumble strips you find on the shoulder. you somewhat get use to it but trust me when you are on single and have to go back to team you realize how much it sucks
I got my cdl in February i got home safely but i couldn't sleep in a moving truck. Excellent video
Mann , you said a mouthful. The pay is exactly correct. Only team pay that’s acceptable is @ UPS . In 40 years I only did a team rum short term back n the early 90’s for a week from HOU-El Paso back to back. Great insight!
I sleep very well in a moving truck. If the truck stops, i wake up. We all slept in motion for 9 months.
Drove team with my best friend for praxair. Excellent pay. $1500 per week after taxes if you can get a good trip. Best truckin memories I’ll have for a long time. That being said, a moving bunk is a scary place to sleep in the winter.
I used to drive team for first trucking job. Good for learning because one of us could get out of truck to watch/guide. Split the night shift, never run one guy all night.
Sir, I gotta say your on the money with this. Teaming can be very tough. And when they tell you that ther is a fine if late on a very tight load, it does put pressure on you.
Ran a 17 hour shift during my learning period at a company I worked for. Me and my mentor were taking shifts, so we had already planned out how we were going to take shifts. He was going to drive from his home (where he had his truck) to the harbor where we would pick up the first container (75km). I was going to drive to the first offloading point (240km). He was going to drive to the next harbor where we were going to change container (50km), as well as to the next offloading point (190km). We were going to change shift half way home from the last offloading point since it was getting dark but I volunteered to drive the whole way (215km). I had slept from the second harbor to the last offloading point so I had gotten about 1 and a half hour of sleep in the passenger seat. Just lean back and put a pillow on the small table in front of you to put your legs on and it's actually quite comfortable. This was in a Scania S520, so it's quite a roomy cab for a cabover.
Fully agree with you. Team driving is too dangerous. I will not do it.
My husband and I have been team driving for 5 years now. I took a lot of Dramamine to get through the motion sickness. After a few years of taking the Dramamine, my motion sickness eased up. The one thing I wish for team drivers is a break longer than 30 mins for exercise. We sit so much as team drivers with no exercise. Solo drivers get a 10-hour break without the truck moving and teams do not. OMG! I would also enjoy an On Duty Shower Status for team drivers...we are the stinky people in the truck stops. Our showers come during our 34-hour restart...if we get a 34-hour restart. Safe Travels everyone.
My hat's off to you, team trucking for that length of time would be pretty tough! All I can suggest is that good teams are very much in demand so if you need to take a little extra time here or there, just do it for sanities' sake! Stay safe!
Been there done that for almost 20 years . 1995 - 2014. been through the windshield upside down 1 time. Partner was old school and the wet spray coming off the tires of the cars on the road told him it was not frozen..... we had water over ice. In a cab over International. Mile maker 6 north bound I-95 Lumberton. Pulling out of the welcome center north bound and he shifted up at about 50 mph and we was sideways in 1 sec. we rolled off the road and i flew through the wind shield . just finished a smoke and said i am getting in the bunk see ya in 10 hours .... turned to get in and he said oh shit. I look back and we was side ways. at 50 + mph with a 53 foot trailer. woo hoo. I hit the ground knees first shattered them and fell to my side still in a seated position. The cab landed on its side in front of me. I was 2 feet away from the deer fence on the side of the interstate.They say i flew almost 40 yards. I reached out and touched the front of the truck trying to get up and passed out due to the pain.Blizzard of 96 everything iced up. Armellini the company i worked for had 2 roll overs that day in a 2 state area. About 3 feet is all that kept me from being under the truck.
As a pilot if I have an accident the NTSB attributes to fatigue everyone gets in trouble, me, and the carrier. It makes no difference if I have legal hos.
Same with trucking
No way no how can a person get good quality sleep in a moving truck!
I tried it when I was "training" with my trainer sleeping while I drove. It was exhausting trying to sleep when he drove. Team driving in my opinion should be outlawed, because no freight is that important to force a sleepy team to deliver it!
I tried teaming; I’d never do it again!The truck is only about the size of a small bathroom and for two people that makes spaces pretty small. Another thing is that two people have a hard time getting along spending 24/7 together in such a small area.One other problem is experiance , does the person that you’re teaming with have good driving and safety habits, if not it can be a scary thing. Nothing like being in the bunk and your co- driver is going off Cabbage at over a hundred miles per hour because he burned out the brakes!
Damn...I drive for Werner and I drive Wyoming every day. That felt like a wake up call directed at me.
I used to drive for Werner. Driving across Wyoming in a 65 mph truck sucks. I'm independent now. Being able to drive the speed limit makes the trip much better.
I ran team for 10 months. I chose the night shift, I've always been a night owl and preferred driving at night. I slept well enough also while the truck was moving. That is until we hit a pot hole that would launch me out of the bunk. I stopped teaming for the usual reasons, tired of sharing the truck with someone who wasn't my wife, tired of always moving, and tired of sleeping in a moving truck.
I was in TNT training with Prime a week ago and everything was going well but I wasn’t getting any sleep; I ended the training and got off the truck because I wasn’t getting any sleep and when I expressed this to my trainer and my fleet manager both suggested that I should take zzzquil and just suck it up and get used to it.
You didn’t go through all the benefits and some of the negatives. More money, longer home time, bigger shippers and consignees, so easier places to back up a tractor trailer. Trainers only teach so much, a more experienced teammates can close the gaps in training and help with your backing. I’ve had to teach all my teammates how to set up for the half 90 / half 45 which Smart Trucking made a video on. The one big negative that I found was those that can handle their sh*t rarely want to team. If you’re the competent one, you’ll have to train up the other guy. Other advantages are, work fewer hours, split some of the work load, if the truck needs repaired, it usually only affects one of your shifts and the truck is rolling again, so you don’t lose as much or any money from down time.
Team driving is especially unsafe when both teams are inexperienced drivers! I've been a solo driver since I finished with my training. Western Express wanted me to start training before I had a year of experience and I said no. While I've had nothing but good experience when I did team driving, I would rather remain solo for the remainder of my driving career. As of the beginning of this month, I've survived my first year of truck driving. The only casualty I've ever had was a porcupine. There was too much traffic to swerve to avoid it, so the little critter ended up meeting his maker. I had to get both of my drive tires on the passenger side of my truck changed, but yeah.
I ran team back in the 80's and 90s. Back when you could split drive and sleeper time. One co-driver wanted to drive ten hours at a time the other one wanted to do 5 on 5 off. I liked the 5 and 5 better because I couldn't stay in the sleeper for 10.
I remember going through prime inc student driver program 4 years ago. My driving instructor had to be in the driver cab passenger seat while I had my permit for the first week or two then I got my license, but I was still training after getting my license but they had us run as teams right after I just got my license it was a horrible experience
I’m the senior driver and I like running from 2-5 pm to 2-5 am we do a 12-12 shift
Thanks for being a voice of truth in a very untruthful industry😇 God bless keep up the good work
Looks like you are enjoying the summer, nice tan lol. Enjoy your videos
I drove for 26 years and it only took one trip driving team for a week to make it my one and only.I found I couldn't sleep well because of the movement of the truck and my co driver always did the switch by pulling off the side of the road and I did mine at a truck stop.It also mattered that I couldn't truly trust his skills no matter how good a driver I thought he might be.
LMAO, I can't sleep in a truck that doesn't move. Wife and I have been rolling for almost a decade same company we started with. We ran so much we wore out our first truck, 1.5 million miles before mechanical issues.
I am brand new ... just out of school and will be teaming with my husband. I hope we can figure out how to do it safely so neither one is driving only night hours. I guess we will find out soon.
Team driving isn't safe or humane. It's a freaking travesty that it is even a thing.
I totally agree! I'm team driving(training right now). I m the less experience driver. I do all the night driving,mountain driving,foggy conditions bad conditions driving. I told my trainer I don't feel safe wen it was snowing,he got mad told me this job isn't for me. Jus trying to finish this team/training driving and get my own truck.
When I first started trucking I “teamed” with my instructor for two weeks.
I’d been the passenger in a 4 wheel accident that kept me mostly hospitalized for 4 years so I thought I’d have a problem with sleeping … but I didn’t … but I’ve been sleeping in motion most of my life (sailboats, family car trips, long train rides).
We also didn’t really “Team Drive” … there was a lot of overlap … We were Training not Teaming so the schedules weren’t crazy.
Still, I won’t “Team”. I have a problem even “Sharing” in a rig. I simply don’t trust another driver behind the wheel on a regular basis. I also can’t really accommodate another person when I’m driving. I dress comfortably and drive “cold” preferring 55-60 degrees, I drive with both windows partially opened (“cracked” for fresh air), I keep the music (or college courses) on at a reasonable volume and I use the CB a lot. These things work well to keep me very alert. Also, I can’t stand a person talking on their cell phone because it becomes “White Noise”.
Also I take “Cat Naps” whenever I feel the need … 10 to 20 minutes sometimes less will clear my mind’s desire to “rest” … I don’t know why. I can wake up after a solid 7-8 hrs, get on the road, and in less than an hour my mind is trying to shut down. If I take a 15 minute “Cat Nap” as crazy as it sounds, I’m good for 8 to 10 hours (for the rest of the “Day”/Driving Period) … its kind of like a “Reset Button”.
NEVER Drive Tired. My rule is if I shake my head on three occasions, I pull over. I “Cat Nap” &/or stretch my legs. I won’t get back on the road until I’m sure whatever it is has passed.
Absolutely. About time you speak up.
I used to run team at miller transporters. We only had experienced drivers doing it. We were both always so tired because we couldn't sleep in a moving truck. Don't do it guys it's just too dangerous.
I know of 2 cases where the off duty driver woke up and used the men's room at a truck stop. The truck was gone when he got back out.
I only Ran Team while i was an apprentice in Training with "The fleet Teacher" aka the *Godfather* for the first 3 months to know the ropes of the job , then after i got his blessings they let me run solo for my Rookie year .
This was one of the reasons I ran away from CRST when I got the chance to. I'm a loner and am not fond of people. But they force roommates on you and force team driving. The fact that they waste your time, delay reimbursing you, and lie just adds on more reasons why I got fed up and snuck away when they tried to force me away from my trainer and force me to team drive. I might have put up with them if they didn't force team driving......but these slave masters were just too much. And it's a huge issue if you try to take my freedom and treat me like a peasant.
Cb radio is good way to talk to other drivers, sometimes. Also get a ham radio take your test , be legal with it, and there is always someone to talk to. But me, I want drive as a team driver. That is to small of a space for two people to live in. Another thing is I can't get no rest when someone else is driving. If a company told me I will have to start team deriving, I would find me another company to work for.I will not team drive.
I use to work for CRST and did team driving and it was so miserable. I'm now solo with Werner and I'm so much happier. Hell i even brought a bike with me for when i have down time
I hear what your saying. I was a rookie driver and my co-driver drove from 12 noon to midnight, the rock star shift, while being the rookie he had me drive the majority of the red zone hours. From 4am till about 6:30am I struggled to stay awake and focused. I didn't drink Red Bull or coffee either in an effort to sleep better in a moving truck. I finally told him I was leaving the truck unless he would split the red zone hours evenly, he consented but, then struggled himself to stay awake. Nevertheless, I prefer team driving for the money and so many more advantages it offers.With my company, 99% drop and hook, more cross country miles, very little waiting if any between loads, more fuel reward points=more free showers which are $15.00 a pop at Pilot and flying-J. The sleeping on a moving truck I got used to. If the shift change over is an hour at a truck stop you can take a relaxed shower or grab a bite to eat and still have 10 plus hours to sleep, yes some if the rough roads will jolt you awake but you often can fall back to sleep rather quickly. For me the biggest con was my shift. When I went from starting at 12 midnight to 3am and from ending at 12 noon to 3pm it made all the difference. So, having a shifts that suit both drivers is number one for me. I would also add that teaming two rookie drivers together should be against the law. Team drivers should h ave at a very minimum 3-6 months solo driving experience with a trainer in the right seat not sleeping in the bunk.
Circadian rhythm isn't dictated by daylight cycle. If you have a established day sleep/night work routine its fine. The circadian rhythm works like this. If you are usually awake at 5am, by 3-330pm you hit a lull. It gets me everyday, I am most complacent at work at this time. As I am feeling tired no matter how much coffee you drink it always happens.
Hubby and I switch at 2 and 2, so neither of us are running straight nights. We're getting used to it mostly, we've only been driving for just over a year.. Still hv times we have trouble sleeping though, and all it takes is a message saying we don't feel safe driving driving until we've had a nap...we get a message about 'safe and legal' and that's it. Sometimes they'll swap our load, sometimes not.
I ran team in the 90s and there was no day and night shift because we switched every 8 hours. I never had any trouble sleeping in a moving truck. It was good with a good partner, but my company eventually broke us up to each run with new guys, which I hated. Driving with a different guy every week, and some of them really sucked, one had a minor wreck while I was sleeping. It was a great experience when I teamed with my wife for a bit in the 2000, I liked not having to deal with finding parking to sleep. Been LTL local p&d for 18 years now since then.