Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/15908
Double time Topping the list for team loads is any time- Sample spreads for company driver team pay Carrier 1 Carrier 2 Carrier 3 Carrier 4 Carrier 5 Carrier 6 Carrier 7 10¢ 20¢ Solo 30¢ Team These sample rates from the National Transport Institute’s July 2010 report, for drivers with one year of experience, show how the premium for team driving can vary from carrier to carrier. 40¢ 50¢ sensitive freight, like reefer, but flatbed and dry van hauls can pay off, too, says Bredigkeit. “The industry has some great opportunities for teams in every segment, but you have to find some- thing that plays into the strengths of your op- eration,” he says. That means a team evaluating lease prospects needs to find a fleet that offers the right type of hauls, which usually translates into long-distance, time-sensitive runs. Hale started driving a dedicated team run from northern Utah to Pennsylvania in May with long-time friend Randy Feik. Hale says the team operation has enabled him to double mileage from roughly 2,500 miles a week solo to about 5,000. “Now the truck doesn’t stop for more than a short period,” he says. Hale’s business brings in about $30,000 per month in revenue. McNeely says he and his wife are able to run How to survive working together Since team driving requires spend- ing so much on-duty and off-duty time together, it can create tough relational challenges for couples. Here are tips on handling the typical stresses that arise: COMMUNICATE. “Communication is key to making it work,” says Kier- sten Coleman, who drives with her husband William. Even if each party is angry, work issues still have to be talked about and dealt with, she says. “As long as you talk through the differences and not let your emotions get the best of you, it’ll work out fine.” DIVIDE RESPONSIBILITIES. Delegating tasks can help minimize confrontation and ensure that all critical areas are maintained by the partner who is best suited. In Michael McNeely’s operation, truck- ing- and equipment-related duties are his responsibility, while paper- work and administrative duties are handled by his wife Cheryl. Brian Hale, of Sunset, Utah, covers all fuel and truck-related expenses in his operation. His co- driver, Randy Feik, takes care of some of the maintenance issues. “You’ve got to be a cohesive unit that’s willing to work together to make the operation a success,” Hale says. Dora Colvin, who drove team with her husband Butch for 18 years, says creating a schedule of duties helps. “Division of labor is an important issue,” she says. “It’s something you have to have, and each side should be aware of what it is.” SPEND TIME ALONE ON THE ROAD. Each partner needs to carve out solo time to take a shower, go into a restaurant or walk around at a rest area, says Kiersten Coleman. “You can’t just stay in that truck,” she says. SPEND TIME ALONE AT HOME. “Give one another some space,” says McNeely. His wife has “a nice office and I’ve got a man cave. It’s important to have some time where each of you can just sit, relax and be away from one another.” 1,200 or more miles per 24-hour period. The Fort Worth, Texas, couple say while carrying a time-sensitive load, they either eat in the cab or grab food from truck stop convenience stores and limit restroom stops. McNeely spent 10 years running solo before his wife joined him 10 years ago. The couple is leased to Landstar Systems, but is self-dispatched. “A lot of teams out there are working for pennies a mile running 7,000 miles a week,” he says. “We don’t do any drop and hook freight. We run a lot fewer miles for dol- lars a mile.” He adds, “Running as a team and hauling the freight we haul make it possible for us to make more money. You have to match your freight with your abilities.” McNeely and his wife pull in roughly $25,000 per month in revenue. Bibb says teams should “take advantage of times when freight is really hot. That’s when teams can really capitalize on the advantage they have over solo drivers,” she says. “When the freight is here and available, you have to turn as much of it as you can.” Owner-operator teams leased to Con-way average more than 20,000 miles a month, says Brian Taylor, senior operations manager. “If the demand for freight stays where it is now,” he says, “the advantage will be for owner- operators to carry more freight and make more revenue.” n 26 OVERDRIVE SEPTEMBER 2010