Team Truck Driving As a Last Resort

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Lately, I’ve been wondering if team truck drivers, especially those new to team trucking, decided to take on a co-driver because there was a drastic change in their trucking career. Or, if they heard or were told, that there’s more money in team trucking. If you read last week’s article on the Team Trucking blog, “Re-Thinking Team Trucking,” you know there’s not much difference in pay between solo driving and team driving.

I don’t have any stats to refer or link to, about this. I’m sure the trucking company recruiters could confirm part, or all, of what
I’m saying. The team truckers I have come across stated the reasons they took on a co-driver. The #1 reason was somewhat shocking to me:

1. There wasn’t enough freight to stay on as a solo driver –  The reason this made my mind go bonkers is because the
   trucking industry is still suffering from a severe driver shortage. Hmm…
2. A few drivers said they were told and are actually seeing a bigger paycheck than when they drove solo. That’s mainly due to the higher number of miles their truck is able to cover each week… more miles should =more $$!
3.  The least common reason solo truck drivers chose to get in a team trucking situation, is because they were told they had a better chance of getting more home time. Also, that their paycheck should remain about the same. This seems like a combination of #1 and #2.

I read an article that said the average age of today’s truck driver is 47. Other industry’s average age is 42. What does that say about truck drivers? Does that mean that truck drivers tend to retire from driving, or at least stick with truck driving until DOT/ FMCSA says they are no longer qualified to drive?

It’s hard for a career truck driver to change job titles, even if they are offered a position in the trucking industry. When speaking to veteran truck drivers faced with this type of dilemma, it surprised me that they wouldn’t consider working in an office dispatching, for example. I guess it’s not easy for everyone to suddenly change their work environment. 

Unfortunately, some drivers are making the decision to try out team trucking before retiring from trucking, altogether. Taking on a co-driver beats the heck out of working in an office alongside the same people they’ve been snapping on every day. To team drive or not to team drive? That’s a question some truck drivers are faced with. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the truck driver shortage to see how it is affecting solo and team drivers.

Until next time… Be awesome and be safe!