My wife hates to type so she asked me to be her secretary :lol: . I have asked the question and here are her answers.
"My husband and I are company team drivers and have been for a little over two years now. We were both CDL holders for over ten years prior to this, however we only drove locally so OTR (over the road) was a whole new experience. As a newbie company driver you will go through schooling, then sent out on the road with a trainer/finisher for 4-6 weeks approximately. You may be able to find a company that will train both husbands/wife teams together, I think I heard that Schneider will do that but don't quote me on it. My husband and I did train together, which was a good thing for the trainer we had was a joke (a whole other subject) and we relied on each other a lot.
1. Most teams run on the average 5500-6000 miles a week (depending on type of load/unload, etc.). The truck is moving usually 20-22 hours out of each day. Teams are given J.I.T. (just in time) loads on a regular basis, these loads are given exactly the amount of time it takes to get the load there. Companies like to run their newbie teams hard. Why? It saves the company money to give the run to newbie versus an experience team who makes a lot more. Working non-stop will be hard on your personal relationship at first, you will need to find time for each other that does not include the truck moving. When you first start out it may seem impossible to do so, but it can be done once you get a routine.
2. One of you will have to be driving all night long. Decide as soon as possible who works better during the night, in our case it is me. Running hard can take its toll on you especially when you are trying to learn so much and meet a sometimes ridiculous deadline. You need the backbone to tell dispatch that the load can't be done in the time frame given or that you are exhausted. If you can't do it then you can't do it. Unlike the corporate world your boss doesn't have so many limits on how they treat you, they will threaten all kinds of things. One call to safety usually fixes that, however be prepared to receive some crappy loads for a few days :cry: .
3. Showers are public and if you use the major truck stops they are usually clean but not ever up to my standards so to speak. Make sure you buy shower shoes, we use flip flops that have a one inch sole. Many of them are the size of a closet so it would be wise to ask for a "team member" shower which means you get two showers for the price of one. Also as a newbie team you may not have time to shower each day, be mentally prepared for that. Wet Ones brand wipes are great to have on board for a quick mini bath
.
4. Living with your spouse 24x7 in a very small space is a whole new learning experience in itself when you start out. It can and will at times test your patience until you adjust to your whole new way of life for you will be learning to drive the truck along with learning how to be with each other day in and day out. It is amazing that there are so many things that you may never have known about him. You will become a true "team" in life and in your job. I love being with him, we are rarely separated even on our days off which is not for all.
5. If you go with a company that has Freightliners, then you may not get the rest that is needed to run hard as a team. Freightliner does not seem to believe in noise insulation so you get to hear all road noise, tires, or engine. Also Freightliner believes in the cheapest form of suspension and you will feel every pothole, rut, or bump. Again, if you feel that you are to exhausted then tell dispatch you need and are taking a break to sleep not moving down the road.
6. As a woman (even though you will be with your husband) expect to hear sexual innuendos, rude comments regarding your gender, low respect at times from other drivers or shippers/receivers (although the latter is getting much better). What is considered improper and taboo in the corporate world of today is alive and well in the trucking industry. You will hear comments in regards to racism, homosexuals, illegal immigration, other drivers, dispatchers, shippers/receivers and a lot of times those comments are not in ladylike verbiage. Truckers can and will be rude to you, so you either learn to give it back or deal with it in other ways. Truckers have a lot of time on their hands and some don't use it in a constructive manner at all.
7.
Trucks stop parking lots are DISGUSTING! During the hot months they
reek of urine because all of the lazy no good for nothing male truckers can't walk the 10ft into the building.
8. The average time off with most companies is for every 7 days you are on the road you get 1 day at home. Most companies only allow their company teams home every 3-4 weeks and in order to make the most money it is best to stay out that long. Be prepared to miss special events in your families or friends life because trucking companies do not consider your personal life a priority. If you
really want to be home on a certain date schedule to be home two days before, which means you will more than likely roll into home that very day you want to be there. Also, there will be times that the family calls and says "We are having a barbeque, miss you" or your friends call up "We are having a party on Friday night can you be there?" which 99.9% of the time you cannot and that gets to me at times. :cry:
9. There are days I swear I will never drive one of these trucks again. I have had it up to the top of my head with other driver attitudes, shippers/receivers treating me like dog dung, dispatcher who doesn't care, etc. :evil: . Then I take a break and continue on down the road. After all we all have those days in any job.
With all that being said being on the road is a great life, you get to see so much. I will never return to a 9 to 5 or local job if I can help it. Days fly by out here. One day we may be in California and the next in Texas headed for New York. We have experienced more in two years than most experience in a lifetime. Trucking is a
totally different world and I am not kidding about that. After you get over the shock (may take six months to a year which learning curve) you wonder how you ever held any other job." Signed Mrs. Movinit
Whew! That wore me out typing all of that. My wife is right, it will take time for you to adjust and you may find yourself thinking you were crazy to make the leap. Hang in there though, it will get better.
Women drivers or not.
