[themadride]

Thanks in advance for any help.

My fiance and I are considering the idea of becoming a husband/wife trucking team. Neither of us have any experience or know anyone who has lived the life. We are both in our mid-twenties and have a few questions before we go further with this.

Many companies that try to recruit inexperienced drivers seem to be offering free training including lodging during the course. How would this work with a couple. Would our lodging be together? And when it comes to road training would we be placed together or even on similar runs? I have a fear that we would treated like two random recruits. We don't want to sign up together and still not see each other for a couple months or more.

One advantage (the big one) of this plan is for us to save a ton of money. How realistic is our idea of giving up our apartment, putting stuff in storage, and crashing at my parents during down time...Basically living in the truck at least for a year or so...to get a head start on saving $?

We have a dog. Will we be able to take it with us? I know the truckers always have dogs in the movies. :-)

I'm big into stock market investing. Does an infrastructure now exist that would allow me to stay connected, e.g. Reliable Satellight tv, Mobile Broadband internet cards for my laptop, etc? Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

Lastly, In general... Is there good money to be made in this industry if you live cheap and save hard? I've heard some people say that there is tons of money to be made and others have told me that you never get ahead because there is always new unexpected costs, fees, etc.

Sorry for the long post. Any help on any of these issues would be great!

[Eagle Eye]

I am currently going to Crowder truck driving school for CFI. My wife is going to join me later since we also own a business. There is not a contract to work for them and they pay a very large portion of your tuition. Call Christine Lathan at CFI 1-800-641-4748 Ext: 5718 Be sure and tell her that Eagle Eye told you to call. She can tell you about their new program and answer your questions honestly. I also have quite a bit information on my website. Good luck!

[millersod215]

Just make sure you're willing to make that kind of sacrifice, giving up your apartment and all, it all sounds like no big deal when you talk about it, but when you get out there, and your home soon becomes a 70 inch sleeper with bunk beds, you might regret giving up that apartment, I'm sure Mom and Pops would be glad to have you, but I also know it's nice to have a place of your own, even if it's only for a couple days a month. And be sure you're ready to make the physical sacrifice of team driving, the freightliner century, which most of your newbie companys use for their standard issue trucks shake about as bad as an earthquake, i don't know the rating scale of earthquakes, but let it be known it is tough to sleep while the truck is moving if you're not used to it. There is money to be made if you do your homework and figure out the best way to do so, the hours of service will take getting used to, and you'll have to learn them so you can utilize all of your time and get the most miles out of the truck, all in all if the two of you are willing to put in the effort, and have the desire for a life behind the wheel, it's definately not the worst way for you guys to make money, just remember it's all in what you make of it, there's going to be days when you're kicking yoursefl in the butt thinking you've made a huge mistake, then there's going to be days when you love what your doing, just take it as it comes and all should be good.

[Rookie McRookerson]

I read a comment on another thread a while ago in response to someone thinking of living out of their truck and giving up their home.

The comment was, don't forget that if you lose your job, you're immediately homeless also.

Another thing to consider is can you stand to be in extremely close proximity to your spouse day in and day out, night in and night out, with no relief of space and time? Man was not meant to be cooped up in something the size of a walk in closet with their spouse!

[fatman]

my experience is limited, but at Swift they let married couples share a room but any couple not married had to sleep seperated with 3 other same-gender roomates. for the 6 weeks of training on the road they were seperated with different mentors regardless.
understand that life on the road is hard, stressful, and dirty. most companies I know of will let you have a pet for @ a $500 deposit.
the 1st year money is very tight; not only are you learning the ropes but often the choicer runs go to those with more seniority, although teams do get better runs than solos, on average.
there are some immediate expenses to think about too, though not much: a tv, as big a fridge as your truck can handle, a power inverter.
if you have a safety net with your parents, losing your apartment will save you lots of cash. but yeah, it gets tight in these trucks- there is NO 'personal space'.
finally, realize that the 'good' money starts only after your first year. So how long do you think you could do this, and would the benefits outweigh the stressors on your relationship?
good luck to both of you whatever you decide!

[just_froggy]

Wow, you sound just like me and my old man. Right down to the dog! The only difference is that he was an experience driver when I got my license.

#1, don't think trucking in real life is like what you see in the movies. That is the biggest joke ever, and one of the biggest mistakes new drives make, thinking it is just like the movies.

Please, read this and take my advice!!!!

Driving team with your spouse is not a walk in the park. Alot of people fantasize that "oh we get to be together all the time". Ha ha ha. It doesn't take long, but we were ready to kill each other. It may work, at long as you both are not stubborn and hot tempered like we are. It is very trying on a relationship. I'm not trying to discourage you from doing it, but this happens.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT live out of your truck and a storage shed. We have done that twice already. I will never, ever,ever, ever do it again. It gets old really fast, and on top of that trying to find a place to crash when you are home, plus, you can never find anything in your shed. My advice (which is what we are planning to do) is to get a small apt, maybe even just an efficiency. Get the storage shed, but have a small place to come home to, even though you will hardly ever see it. My friends dad (this was 10 years ago, and he still has it) paid $150 a month for a small 2 room apt. He is a truck driver too, and never home. I'm not sure what he pays now, but I am sure it is not that much. Plus trying to find a place to stay with a dog can be hard because you can't always find someone to stay with that will allow you to have a dog in their house.

If money is a problem, put your stuff in storage and don't worry about getting a place until after your training. But do get a place eventually.
Living out of the truck sounds good, but 2 people living out of it with virtually no space is not easy.

While you are training, your not going to be able to take your dog with you, especially being out with a trainer. Its his/her truck, not yours.

When you are out with a trainer, you most likely won't see each other for weeks.

This is just some of trucking reality. I'm not trying to scare you off, but this is real life. Still interested?