What Is Team Truck Driving Like? Pros & Cons

Team driving is when two drivers drive together, carrying goods in one truck, where driving duties are taken care of by them both in shifts. This allows the truck to be in continuous movement while one of the drivers rests and the other drives, hence reducing delivery times considerably. However, team driving also entails its own share of challenges and advantages. For this reason, it is very important that drivers know what they are getting into before committing themselves to this particular type of arrangement.

In this article, we will go over some of the pros and cons of team driving to give a well-rounded look at what it’s like when you become part of a driving team. A comparison table will be provided at the end for keeping those main points easy to reference.

What is Team Driving?

Team driving means that two drivers share a single truck, taking turns driving in shifts. One can be on duty while the other is sleeping in the sleeper berth as the truck keeps moving, without any lost time. This is an attractive arrangement for both trucking companies and shippers who are eager for quick delivery turnarounds, thus allowing drivers to cover more ground in less time.

Typically, team drivers work 12-hour shifts, and with both drivers taking turns at the wheel, a truck can be on the road for nearly 24 hours a day. However, team driving goes way beyond just miles covered; it requires good communication, much cooperation, and a high level of trust between both drivers that will make or break it.

Team Driving Pros

1. Increased Potential Earnings

Team drivers often can make more miles in one week than solo drivers, making them higher paid. Some trucking companies offer bonus incentives for team drivers because of the better turnaround times.

Companies benefit from delivery time as more deliveries allow for more opportunity to make income. Hence, with two drivers, they save on delivery time, which results in more loads and more pay opportunity to the drivers. That is a big plus for people willing to put in long hours driving a truck.

2. Faster Deliveries

The foremost benefit of team driving is reduced transit time. With two drivers on board, the truck can keep running without long stops for sleep, which helps truckers deliver goods faster.

This speedy delivery will help shippers that are under pressure with tight deadlines, but it will also provide opportunities for team drivers to find more high-paying routes because of the needs for quicker turnarounds.

3. On-Road Support

With a partner, there is always someone who can assist in navigation, handling paperwork, or deal with an unexpected problem along the road.

In emergency situations, it may also be consoling to have another person nearby to offer support against minor breakdowns and/or health problems. These are just some of the reasons why many team drivers claim they feel a lot more secure should anything happen during their long hauls. 4. Shared Responsibilities

Tasks such as loading and unloading of cargo and performing maintenance checks can be shared among the drivers, this will lighten the physical and mental load on each driver.

On the other hand, team driving provides a very good opportunity for the novices to learn from an experienced driver and they learn how to handle routes, problems of the truck, and driving techniques that reduce fatigue.

Disadvantages of Team Driving

1. Little privacy.

It can be an irritant to share a small space with another person day and night, week after week. The close confines of the truck cab might cause tension between team drivers who have to put up with each other’s nuances and most likely annoying habits. For truckers who need their personal space and alone time, team driving can be aggravating and fatiguing. A nice place for team driving will minimize this aggravation.

2. Sleep Disturbances

Although the other driver has slept while his buddy is driving the truck, sleeping in a moving truck may be highly difficult. The noise of the road together with vibrations and interruptions might cause poor quality sleep that may further influence the level of alertness or well-being of drivers.

It may really be stressful to accommodate the sleep schedule in line with driving shifts, and poorly adequate quality rest may affect health and safety in the long term.

3. Compatibility Issues

Finding a suitable team partner is the key to success, but it’s not always easy. For, whatever may be the reason-driving style, personal habits, or work ethics-friction develops into stress on long hauls.

If drivers do not work well together, the benefits that come with team driving will be overshadowed by tension which will eventually impact performance and job satisfaction.

4. Earnings Split

With team drivers, while the miles are usually covered more, the pay is shared. That can make the take-home pay per driver, in some instances, lower if the mileage rate isn’t considerably higher than a solo drive.

The drivers will have to balance the increased mileage and shared pay to find whether extra earnings justify the added number of driving hours and loss in personal space.

Is Team Driving for You?

Team driving is not for everyone. For some, the companionship, support, and sharing of responsibilities are very rewarding. It also opens up the possibility of higher earnings, with access to high-paying and time-sensitive routes that a solo driver may not qualify for. But team driving does come with challenges: limited privacy, the possibility of compatibility issues, and disrupted sleep patterns.

Before committing yourself to team driving, consider your preferences in a work environment, your income expectations, and whether you can find a compatible partner. Most drivers do not find the negatives significant enough to overcome the positives of the job-higher pay, more delivery runs. Other drivers find that they need the personal space and to be able to make solo decisions, making single driving the better fit.