Married Military Couple Looking To Driver OTR As A Team

Hello my name is Nicole. My husband is Navy Chief who has decided to retire after 21 years of service and we are looking into driving as a team. We are currently stationed in Lemoore CA but as of the middle of June we will be heading back to PA to spend some much needed time with family that we haven't seen in 2 years and to start a new career path. My husband has been gone on deployments and Dets a lot over the past few years and we would really like a career that we can spend time together and that will allow us to make a great income. We have a 17 year old daughter that will be finishing high school and since we are moving back to the home she was born and raised in and with my mom living with us she will be well taken care of while we are gone for weeks at a time. My husband drove truck over 20 years ago and had his CDL but it has now lapsed so we both will need to go through school and get our CDL's. What we are looking for is a trucking company that will pay for our CDL schooling, offer training and that will also pay us well. we have done some research and talked to recruiters from Schneider, Swift and CRST. Overall CRST seems to have the best program and pay rate but I'm looking for honest opinions from people who drive every day and who see and hear first hand whats what in the trucking industry. We are both very hard working people for put our all into our work. I am especially looking for a company that will honor ample home and family time. We will work our tails off to deliver the loads quickly and efficiently and at this point in our lives we want to put our roots down and have a career that we will enjoy together and driving truck seems to make sense. Can and will anyone give me your opinions??? I would greatly appreciate any help and tips you have. Thank you so much Nicole :)

Funny you mention Lemoore I was just delivering a load of meat to the commissary there. What a great steakhouse Harris Ranch is. You will find many opportunities in the trucking industry. There are many options. I would suggest going through this sight thoroughly in order to find the right company and school that fits your lifestyle. If your looking for paid training via company I would suggest prime, swift, Roahl, and perhaps celadon. They really are good company's that know how to put you on the road. With your backgrounds you shouldn't have much problem getting quite a few prehires. Take your time and pick what's best for you . Good Luck and thank both of you for your service.

By the way I work for Prime and love it there, they really are a good company to work for.

By the way I work for Prime and love it there, they really are a good company to work for.

I second that sentiment about Prime ... one thing, though, if BOTH of you want to get your CDL at the same time, then you will both have to go with separate trainers in order to get the CDL-A license simultaneously ... a lot of married team drivers do this: one or the other goes through the training to get a solo truck (about 3+ months at prime), accumulates enough experience to gain a "trainer" status and then can train the other partner ... this will take considerably MORE time than both of you taking the single route ... it's really up to you how you want to do it ... there are other companies (like Schneider) who specialize in team driving (lots of married teams) and their training might be completely different, you'll have to check ... just a thought ...

Jopa

See Also: Trucking Companies, GI Bill, And Military Veterans

I got my CDL through a local college using the G. I. Bill. Having your CDL in advance might give you more options.

The company I drive for does not train to get the CDL. There are two phases to training. First phase is with a trainer for 5,000 miles. The second phase is teaming with another trainee for 40,000 miles. You are paid by the mile during training.

I got my CDL through a local college using the G. I. Bill. Having your CDL in advance might give you more options.

The company I drive for does not train to get the CDL. There are two phases to training. First phase is with a trainer for 5,000 miles. The second phase is teaming with another trainee for 40,000 miles. You are paid by the mile during training.

sounds like PTL? If so yea they hire rookie teams right out of school and so does Crete/Shaffer trucking.

For the quality home time question you may want to look into Roehl. They have a 7 on 7 off team program. I hear the money is not great but sounds like thats not your main objective.

Hello, Nicole.

Firstly: Tell your husband some random guy from a forum said thanks for his service (my father retired as an E8 as well).

Secondly: CRST pays military veterans nearly $0.45 per mile as starting pay (in class with two).

Thirdly: CRST is primarily team driving. Their Oklahoma has dozens of pictures of company drivers with 1-3 million miles (0 accidents / incidents). This company STRESSES safety. And I'm starting to believe it isn't just a catchy slogan.

My two cents. I am in orientation for CRST. And again! Thank you(?) and your husband for serving.

I can only speak for CRST, and yes safety is a big deal to them. My wife and I just completed all our training, and just got on a truck together. If all goes well, you would be able to get through school and training in as little as 7 weeks and be on a truck together. As for the pay, it really depends on how hard you work, and your punctuality. Plenty of people are very negative, but if you pay close enough attention, they are the ones who really don't try hard and make excuses, and blame everyone else for their problems. There are plenty of good companies out there. Trucking companies that do team, such as CRST, really like married couples, because statistically they are more stable, and stick around longer. The biggest thing about CRST that impresses my wife and I is the fact that they are very serious about safety, they use the "Smith System" which is what they teach for safety. It's a very simple concept, and works well if you use it correctly. I wish you well as you plan this new journey, and may you be as blessed as my wife and I have been so far.