Solo Or Team ?

Rainy has the most realistic description of team driving life. I just describe it as living in a small box with another person. You are literally an arm's length apart most of the time.

Most company's wave Big Money talk for teams, and yes, it's really almost a wash one way or the other.

You do get the longer runs since a team can get to/ from California twice as fast as a solo driver.

As for trainer time, vs your own team time, your trainer's job is to, duh, train you. A team situation will get you trained the fastest way. You'll get a taste of team life, but your trainer will be the boss and you're busy learning.

In a real team truck you both are more or less equals and have to decide together nearly everything: stops, laundry, shopping, eating, etc. But you know there are times when an extra pair of hands or eyes will make life easier.

Ok now I got the impression that no matter what company you go with you'll always start off with someone else now my question is is it with a trainer or is it really team driving and what's the difference how can you tell ?

At Prime when you go out with your permit you are basically driving all the miles and the Instructor teaches you turns.. shifting... the basics. After 3 weeks or so you come back to Prime and take the driving test for your CDL. Then you can stay with that instructor or get a different one for "TNT" which is "trainer n trainee" foe 30k miles. This is a team situation. Each trainer has a different style and different criteria. My trainer basically had us do all the meals laundry and fueling on MY 10 hr break. Also.... I did all the paperwork and QC.. even her shift .. and even when she was driving I was the one dealing with the customers...again... on MY 10 hr break. Keep in mind... she drove like a nut.... had the on guard beeping the whole time and would blow the air horns constantly. I hardly slept.... then would drive 550 miles. She once told me "use the porta potty now cause I'm not stopping for 400 miles" Really? I wish I would have pooped on her floor hahhaha

Even though I asked for more backing practice... she did all the backing cause I took too long. Time is money. I was usually too tired to argue about it... and I now wish I has insisted on doing all the backing. She woke me up for the customers anyway... but would have me go open the doors.. chock the tires...pull the tandem pin and couple n uncouple.

In the end... when I got my own truck..lif was awesome. Treat it like bootcamp... it is temporary..

It seems like a lot of the starter companies are making the new people drive team a little longer than what I have learned in the past. CR England has on its website that you go out with the trainer for about a month and then go team for a month and a half.

It seems like a lot of the starter companies are making the new people drive team a little longer than what I have learned in the past. CR England has on its website that you go out with the trainer for about a month and then go team for a month and a half.

Swift's road training (mentoring) is 200 total hours of trainee driving, first 50 is supervised, next 150 trainee and mentor dispatched as a team. If the 200 hours is completed successfully, the trainee is tested one last time. If passed, the trainee is elevated to first seat solo status. No teaming is required beyond training.

Btw.... with teaming you never have to worry about trip planning...not like as solo. While one is driving..the other is getting their hours back so someone always has drive time. As a team you rarely stop for longer than the 30 min breaks (if you have a good dispatcher you always have a preplan and don't sit). That means not worrying about filled truck stops and where to park.

Solo you really have to manage your time and learn how to manipulate your clock. You need to decide where to shut down and think about traffic and running out of hours. Much more planning solo.... and although my instructor mentioned it when. I had my permit.... my Tnt trainer didn't really bring it up much while teaming.

There is only one person i trust enough to team with. Keep that in mind that you life is in someone elses hands when you are in the back of the truck. If he derps out you life is on the line with his. Solo you own all your actions.

From what i have seen with most teams one driver ends up being the boss the other the you know what. That is why most teams do not last very long. The ones that do are generally couples. Also remember regardless of who does the most driving you split everything so if you average 550 miles a day and the other guy does 400 a day hes getting payed the same for less work.

Wow thank you that was a lot . You guys left me a lot to take into consideration. I definitely didn't think about how my life would be in someone else's hands if I was team driving. Guys you have been helpful. THANK YOU

Hahhah. There are a lot of married couples driving team at prime. I know a lot of husbands that trained their wives after they started here.... which says a great deal about the company. ANY man who is willing to bring his wife to a company must be willing to be nagged to the end of time for making the wrong recommendation lol. I personally thought that was one of the most impressive aspects of prime to be honest. Men wouldn't bring their wives to a sucks company.

Most of the trainer I know basically get solo runs the first week of tnt to watch the trainee and decided if they are safe to drive while the trainer is sleeping. I can tell u that I dint always feel safe while the trainer was driving... but I'm a control freak lol

Hahhah. There are a lot of married couples driving team at prime. I know a lot of husbands that trained their wives after they started here

Rainy- I always look forward to your comments. Another good trait about Prime. You're one of the reasons That Prime is at the top of my list to work for. Robert Low wants to grow the company and he's doing many things right.

That's sweet jetguy. But I'm just one driver and my experience might be totally different from someo n e elses. I have found thst when problems arise they are handled. If not then find someone higher up the chain and it will be handled. But remember I came from the post office and it was hell. So anything would have been better hahahha