Husband And Wife Getting Started In Trucking

hi everyone , me and my wife live near tampa florida and are both going to trucking school next week . and then becoming team drivers is there any company we should look at and do any companies train h / w teams together,

Welcome aboard David!

As far as companies you should be looking at, we have a list that includes some of the major trucking companies that hire inexperienced drivers. That's not complete - but it's a good start.

I would look at refrigerated carriers for team operations. There are massive quantities of food (especially produce and meats) being hauled all over the country all year long. Because so much of it is time-sensitive, much of it goes coast to coast in a big hurry using teams (about two days). So the refrigerated carriers have a pretty steady supply of coast to coast freight all year long. You can find a lot of team jobs with dry van companies also and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. But you are not likely to find the consistent flow of freight all year long with dry van the way you do with refrigerated. Dry van has a lot of big spikes and dips in freight which mostly revolve around the various holidays and the back to school season.

Also, if you haven't already, make sure you read through our Truck Driver's Career Guide. It's loaded with information on every topic imaginable that pertains to getting your trucking career off to a great start. I consider it required reading for anyone considering a career in trucking. Specifically pertaining to this conversation you'll find Chapter 4: Choosing A Truck Driving Job which will cover different types of driving jobs and how to evaluate the various companies.

As far as training you two together....I have heard of that being done but honestly I can't remember who was doing that. But that's perfectly OK because you certainly don't want to be making major career decisions based on short-term things. That training period will only last a month or two, depending on the company you go to work for. You have the rest of your lives to be out there together. So make sure you pick a company that you feel will suit you well once your real driving career begins. Don't pick a company simply because you'll spend a few more weeks together.

Three other points about training together:

1) I don't know if you ever tried living with three adults in a tractor trailer but it has to be an awful experience. I never did it so I wouldn't know, and quite honestly I wouldn't consider it if I could help it. Two adults in a truck is a nightmare to many people. I'm not sure anyone has lived to tell the story of three adults in a truck together. I think too many wind up opening the door and jumping out at highway speeds!

2) Having two separate instructors in two different trucks can be a huge advantage for you two. You'll each be trained in different ways of doing things. Once your training is complete you'll be back together running team and you can compare notes. Trucking is one of those jobs where there are a thousand ways of getting through each day. If you both learn from the same instructor you're going to be limited to the lessons coming from one person and you'll also be exposed to the bad habits they have without having any basis for comparison. So I think having two separate trainers is a huge advantage in the long run for you guys.

3) It's often very difficult for people who are very close to learn together. Learning, especially trucking, can be very stressful, overwhelming, and exhausting. You're going to make a lot of mistakes, you'll be humbled many times over, and at times you'll likely disagree with the instructor's methods. What if your wife makes a major blunder and the instructor yells at her for it? You're sitting two feet away. Ever try to sit back and do nothing while your wife is upset, embarrassed, stressed out, and being yelled at? That would seem nearly impossible. You're going to want to defend her and support her. Or what if you have a personality clash with the trainer? Is your wife going to enjoy watching you get all stressed trying to fight through a battle of wills day in and day out? Heck no! It's going to stress her out and she's going to want to defend you. So it's very difficult to have open, honest discussions and to teach harsh lessons that will mean the difference between life and death to a husband and wife at the same time. It can be overwhelming stressful for everyone.

Hope this helps!