ok have a question.............

[newbie2828]

its about team driving for a company.say the company says u get 15 1/2 cents a mile.do you and your team driver have to split that or do u each get 15 1/2 cents a mile?im guessing we each get 15 1/2 cents a mile.ok and also when they say u will go approximately 4800-5200 miles a week-- sometimes more sometimes less-- do u only get paid for half those miles or all?like say u are driving with joe smoe and u guys do 5200 would we each get paid for the full 5200 or half at 2600?im guessing all but not sure.if anybody knows id appreciate it.thanks.mike.

[Big_Dave]

its about team driving for a company.say the company says u get 15 1/2 cents a mile.do you and your team driver have to split that or do u each get 15 1/2 cents a mile?im guessing we each get 15 1/2 cents a mile.ok and also when they say u will go approximately 4800-5200 miles a week-- sometimes more sometimes less-- do u only get paid for half those miles or all?like say u are driving with joe smoe and u guys do 5200 would we each get paid for the full 5200 or half at 2600?im guessing all but not sure.if anybody knows id appreciate it.thanks.mike.
Most likely it's 15.5 cpm for each of you. That's a BIG RIP OFF!

BTW, if you're thinking of driving team with someone, lock yourself in a closet with them for a week first. If you can survive that, then ya can put up with that person as a team driver.

BTW, I've never teamed with anyone, but my wife does occasionally ride along. Trust me when I say.......IT GET'S DAMN CROWDED IN A TRUCK with 2 people! (and all their gear)

I love my wife dearly, but there is NO WAY that I could team with her (or another person).

[newbie2828]

i understand where your coming from on the crowded thing.what is a good rate for a team thing?it is just another option im looking into.i thought the same thing about the team thing will i get along with such and such person being with them stuck in there for a week.thanks for the info.mike.

[Bikerboy]

I know what your saying about feeling crowded with 2 people.
I went with a freind for a week one time. It was a freighliner classic 70 inch condo. And even that thing felt crowded. A mid roof truck would be even worse!

Just seemed there was no room for all your stuff, and it does start to suck seeing and being with the same person 24 hours a day for a week or more straight.

[Big_Dave]

i thought the same thing about the team thing will i get along with such and such person being with them stuck in there for a week.
Unfortunately, as a 'newbie' in the industry, most companies will keep you out for at least 3 weeks at a time. :yikes: :wtf:

With all the freight that's moving around the country, there really is no reason for a company to keep any driver out that long.

Oh, a fair rate for team drivers would be at least .30 cpm PER DRIVER (as far as I'm concerned).

[newbie2828]

u ever answered my question of if we go 5200 miles do we both get paid for 5200 miles or half?kinda makes a world of difference in someones thought process if its only half or all.

[Big_Dave]

u ever answered my question of if we go 5200 miles do we both get paid for 5200 miles or half?kinda makes a world of difference in someones thought process if its only half or all.
Unfortunately, (most likely), you'd get paid for the miles off your individual logbook sheets....via the routing program the company (of your choice), uses.

Example, you drive 550 miles one day and your team mate drives 700 (after your shift is over). You'd get paid for 550 and he'd get paid for 700.

That would really suck if you drove through the Chicago area at 'rush hour' (& only drove 75 miles in 6 hours because of an accident), and he drove through rural IL (and drove 250 miles in 6 hours), later that day. Who'd make more $$ for that day? :wtf: Are ya catchin' what I'm saying?

Getting back to 'how am I paid'.........

In other words (on any given day), if the company pays off HHG miles, you'd get hosed (& so would your team mate) on about 10-15% (possibly more), of the miles you drove / logged........so would your team mate. :angry:

[sweet_whiskey]

To add my few cents in on this subject...

You have to be able to trust the other driver while you are sleeping.

You have to trust the other driver, like he has to trust you to not make a mistake.

You have to be able to disregard his/her snoring, bickering, coughing, sneezing, annoying, adolescent ways in order to team properly.

You might have to tell the team driver to take a shower on a regular basis.

I can add more, but you get the drift.

[jbb1970]

Apparently not too many team drivers on here.

My husband and I will be starting our training in a few weeks and will team together once we are past training. If the pay is 15.5 cents per mile, typically the way they do it for teams is as follows:
You and your team member drive, oh, let's say 5,000 miles this week. No matter who drives what miles, you get paid EACH 15.5 cents per mile for the entire 5,000 miles. So your paychecks would be $775 EACH gross prior to taxes. They typically don't split the miles and they don't figure out who drove what miles. So basically, it would be the same as you driving solo and getting paid 31 cents per mile for the 2,500 miles you would have driven. Which is typically higher pay than if you were driving solo because the company is saving by only buying one truck that runs two people almost non-stop. Their expenses are lower per-truck (per person) and they pass some of that on to the team by paying them a little better than they would pay the solo.

So far the only company we've looked into that hires new trainees that doesn't seem to pay this way is CRST, at least according to what the recruiter told my husband on the phone. They actually split the miles and pay you 22cpm on your half of the miles, which is horrible pay! Again, this was according to the recruiter.

Also, another benefit to driving teams, many companies will give you the longer hauls because you will have the hours between the two of you to get the load there quickly and legally. Therefore, teams might get preferencial treatment with better and longer runs than a solo. That depends on the company.

Hope that helps!
Thanks!
C.B.

...My two cents worth, and priced just right! :D

[southernman]

Man .15cpm is pitiful.Your going to have to run nonstop to make anykind of decent money.Why work so hard for such a small check.I'd do some shopping right now .There are better companies out there that pay alot more than that,so you don't have to drive so much.Your just going to find yourself wore out and broke.

[newbie2828]

i signed on with pam dedicated after my schooling and it is 15.5 cents per mile and i get paid for the miles i drive and the miles the other person drives.so it is actually 31 cents a mile which is way better than what most companies ive seen start a solo driver at.at most ive seen for a solo driver with little to no experience is 27-28 cents a mile.and they are not getting as many miles as a team cause they cant run almost none stop like a team.jbb1970 hit the nail on the head on the team driving thing.longer hauls cause there is 2 of u to run almost non stop.

[LugNut]

Yep 15.5cpm would be all dispatched miles. Usually off HHMG. So if the truck runs 5200 miles you would make your 15.5cpm for the whole 5200. Another way to lookat is you are driving/working appx half the time so your being paid 31cpm for 2600 miles. A good solo driver who is out for 3 weeks at a time can do more miles than that with the right company. So you are actually making less money than solo. Thats about how it is. ;)

I would tell PAM to shove it anyway. Thats to little money for team driving considering the lower miles.

[newbie2828]

yea and show me how many companies that pay solo drivers with no experience at all 31 cents a mile.also with pam dedicated there are dedicated routes which u run every week which means same miles every week.if u are not running a dedicated run there is no way to say if you are even gonna get even 2000 miles for the week as a solo driver.u never know what your gonna get as a solo driver with no dedicated run.also pam dedicated runs to el paso and laredo texas which from pam is about 1700 miles 1 way so 3400 miles there and back and making 2 runs a week 6800 miles a week times 15.5 cents a mile.now figure it out and tell me where im gonna make that money or more as a solo driver with absolutely no experience.now im talking a company thats feesible for me to work for here in ohio or the close surrounding states.oh and also another thing i noticed u put is about the solo driver thing about a good solo driver thats out for 3 weeks at a time can make more than that-- and your key words are with the right company.well thats another thing with pam im home for 2 days every 8 -10 days or less depending how long it takes to make the 2 runs a week.

[LugNut]

Well it's a fact, your new so lower pay is expected. Also in OTR driving you almost always have to sacrifice income for home time. The one and only time I drove team or would drive team it was .40cpm. We ran hard but I still make more money solo. ;)

[Capt._Chaos]

On paper, companies try to make it appear that team drivers make more money. Recruiters try to "sugar coat" it and make it sound so great.

In reality, there's more money to be made driving solo. I found that out firsthand as a company driver running OTR both team and solo for many years before I became an Owner-Operator.

Companies are having a hell of a time getting & retaining teams, and it's for a lot of reasons.

I remember what it was like to spend anywhere from 3-6 weeks out on the road with team partners (two of my now ex-girlfriends), and it was VERY HARD on our relationships at times. When you live in the confines of a truck, there's almost never a chance for the two of you to have some time apart to help retain your sanity.

While there's been people who have been driving team together for many years, I can tell you that it takes two with a VERY GOOD relationship to do that.