Truck Driving With Your Spouse: Is It Doable?
What if being on the road for long hours by yourself could turn into a shared adventure with your significant other? Spending long stretches away from your spouse as a truck driver can be challenging. So, can you consider truck driving with your spouse?
Team driving presents an opportunity to travel, work, and earn money together as a couple. Not only can team driving with a spouse enhance your job satisfaction, but you also don’t have to miss out on quality time. Although team driving with your spouse can have some advantages, there are also challenges.
Whether you want to team drive or just have your spouse keep you company on the road, there are a lot of factors to consider when truck driving with your spouse.
Below, you will read about benefits and challenges of living on the road as a couple to determine if it’s the right fit for you!
What Is Team Truck Driving?
Team truck driving is when two drivers operate one truck, alternating driving shifts, allowing them to keep freight, cargo, and deliveries moving. Through these shift changes, team drivers can drive for much longer periods of time, sometimes up to 20 hours a day.
While one driver rests in the sleeper berth, the other can continue covering miles on the road. Because team driving can involve extended periods on the road, it’s important to be in a team where you get along well.
Team driving is also a great way to reduce loneliness for drivers, especially if that second driver is your spouse. Many times, you just have to make sure you meet your carrier’s qualifications and licensing requirements.
Do Both Spouses Need A CDL License?
In simple terms, yes. To actually operate as team drivers, both spouses must obtain some type of CDL license depending on the freight being shipped.
If your spouse simply wants to ride along with you on your travels, you should talk with your employer. Some company policies have specific rules and regulations on who can be in your cabin while you are on the road.
If your company is willing to let you travel on the road with a pet, there is a high probability your spouse can travel with you as well! To be sure, always check with your employer first.
Benefits Of Driving With Your Spouse
Sharing a trucking career with your spouse has several benefits besides being able to spend more time together. Below are 5 benefits of truck driving with your spouse.
#1: Reduced Living Expenses, Increased Financial Goals
If you decide to take on team driving as a couple, you can significantly reduce living expenses. Because both you and your spouse will be living and working from the same cabin, it will allow you to save on expenses such as rent, utilities, and other bills found in a typical housing situation.
As a couple, you can then focus on growing your income and building a financial safety net.
Team driving also offers increased earning potential! Since team drivers can cover nearly double the distance daily, you can complete more shipments and cover more miles faster. If your company pays a high per-mile compensation, this presents a great financial advantage.
Financial Outlook With One Spouse Driving
If there is only one truck-driving spouse, you will only be living off of one salary. Although you will not earn double trucking income, some passenger spouses may choose to work remotely as well to generate more money.
Regardless of whether you are driving with your spouse or just riding along, couples can significantly reduce living expenses by downsizing into a truck cabin together.
So, even if your spouse is not CDL certified, you can still find ways to earn two incomes on the road and have a wonderful time with your favorite person!
#2: More Time Together
Most truck drivers spend their time working alone. But driving with your spouse presents the opposite opportunity. Instead of spending weeks apart, you spend your everyday trucking life next to your best friend, partner, husband, wife, or family.
Many couples who pursue truck driving careers have trouble going about everyday life without their spouse. But riding along on your partner’s next long haul can help you stay connected in your relationship or marriage.
#3: Open Road Exploring
If you and your spouse have dreams of exploring the country, experiencing new cities and landscapes, or visiting scenic spots, truck driving with your spouse could be the perfect opportunity for you.
Truckers get to experience and see so much throughout their journey. Depending on the carrier and route, truckers may have opportunities to drive by or stop at unique roadside attractions. Sharing that experience with your partner can allow you to work, explore, and spend quality time with your partner all in one.
#4: Support On The Road
Another positive of truck driving with your spouse or having them ride along in your rig is having a support system with you at all times. Truck careers can present challenges, stress, or difficult times.
Between bad weather, stressful deliveries, or difficult routes, having that extra set of love and encouragement with you can be all the difference in the way you react to a situation.
#5: Partnership Reliability
If you’ve ever tried team driving before, you know that communication, confined spaces, and dealing with someone you don’t really know can be a big obstacle. If you choose to take on truck driving with your spouse as team drivers, you already both know how the other person operates.
Those daily challenges and responsibilities you would typically go through with a random person are already established. You and your partner both know each other’s communication styles, lifestyle, and daily tasks, which makes it easier to live comfortably.
Even if there is only one spouse driving and operating and the other is riding along, you still have a good understanding of routines, making life easier within small living spaces.
Challenges of Truck Driving With Your Spouse
Now that we’ve covered some of the amazing benefits of being on the road with your partner, it’s important to talk about the challenges you may encounter when spending an extended period on the road with your partner. Below are 5 different challenges to consider if you want to tag along on the next route.
#1: Spending Almost Every Hour Together
Even though this was also a benefit, spending every waking hour of your personal and professional life with your partner can become challenging. One of the biggest concerns with this challenge is that your personal lives and work lives become blended.
Small disagreements may feel bigger due to the limited space to step away and gather your thoughts. In all relationships, it is normal and encouraged to have boundaries and alone time. But being on the road in such small living quarters can make this challenging or even nonexistent.
#2: Balancing Schedules and Needs As Team Drivers
Truck drivers can only drive for 11 hours before a 10-hour break. If you and your partner are team driving, this may lead to driving and sleeping rotations during awkward hours. Becuase of this, living in a truck cab can cause disrupted sleep patterns and fatigue.
Regardless of whether you are team driving or just sitting in on the journey, these long-haul routes can make drivers extremely exhausted. This exhaustion could seep into your relationship and be expressed in ways such as no motivation or snappy emotions.
Both drivers need adequate sleep and rest to drive safely. If this is not communicated and understood from the beginning, unexpected disagreements and resentment could occur during travels.
#3: Staying Organized and Clean In Small Living Spaces
One crucial part of maintaining a healthy work and living environment is keeping your truck clean. Maintaining an organized cab can reduce stress for truck-driving couples.
During home time, it’s easier and not as big a deal to leave a dish in the sink or your laundry on the floor. But when two people are occupying an extremely small living space, cleanliness becomes critical to maintaining your sanity.
When evaluating truck driving with your spouse, make sure you understand the level of organization it takes for two people to live in a confined space for weeks at a time.
#4: Handling Stress and Disagreements While Team Driving
A big challenge you may experience while truck driving with your spouse is figuring out how to handle stress and disagreements while on the road.
Whether you’re being a backseat driver, arguing about directions, or complaining about a wet shower towel on the bed, conflicts can seem much bigger in such a small space. This limited space makes it easy for conflicts to escalate quickly.
Taking on the road with your partner can be an amazing experience, but it requires patience, teamwork, and the ability to resolve conflicts respectfully!
#5: Understanding and Accepting Different Lifestyles
Lastly, an important challenge you may need to address before taking on the open road is the difference between you and your partner’s lifestyles. Do you prefer to be up early or stay up late? How does your partner react under pressure? Do you or your partner need to be active to feel productive?
These are just some of the many questions you need to ask yourself if you’re considering bringing your partner with you on the road. Understanding how your spouse goes about their daily life is important in determining if they will be able to handle life on the road in a truck cabin for weeks at a time.
If you and your partner have different lifestyles and habits, that does not mean you are not meant for each other; it just may present lifestyle differences that may impact your relationship during your travels.
Tips to Make Truck Driving With Your Spouse Easier
After discussing the benefits and challenges of truck driving with your spouse, hopefully you can begin to envision what this lifestyle would look like for you.
If you are truck driving with your spouse already or considering taking your relationship on the road, below are 5 tips to help keep your relationship exciting and happy while on the road.
#1: Set Expectations
Before hitting the road with your spouse, make sure you have a conversation about all of your expectations for life on the road. This can include income goals for both you and your spouse, how much home time is expected, and even your career plans during and after you begin.
#2: Establish a Routine
Another tip is to discuss and establish a rough routine. You can do this by writing up a driving schedule, if you are working as team drivers, or discussing what life looks like each day while one spouse is driving.
Maybe in your routine you include a time for your partner to help organize your cabin while you are driving so that when you get to your next resting point, your space is organized and put together.
#3: Respect Personal Space
Making sure you and your spouse both respect each other’s space is critical to maintaining a healthy relationship on the road. You and your partner should both encourage each other to take some time when needed.
Whether that means reading your favorite book, listening to music, or simply having quiet time, prioritizing your own personal time is important for maintaining a healthy relationship.
#4: Don’t Be Afraid To Communicate
While truck driving with your spouse, never be afraid to communicate. Leaving arguments or hurt feelings unresolved can lead to bottling up emotions, which can have a bigger impact later down the road.
No matter what feelings or arguments you encounter, you should address them as soon as possible.
#5: Share Responsibilities
Lastly, focusing on your career responsibilities and maintaining a healthy relationship on the road can be hard to manage. As a truck driver, you face many responsibilities, from delivering shipments on time to maintenance and upkeep your rig.
If you have the opportunity to bring your spouse on the road with you, make sure you are evenly dividing responsibilities so one partner is not more overwhelmed than the other. This act of balance can help make both you and your spouse happier while on the road!
Would You Try Truck Driving With Your Spouse?
So, to answer the question, truck driving with your spouse is doable! These driving opportunities allow you and your partner to spend more time together, explore new locations, and grow financially.
But it may only work for couples who have efficient and effective communication, patience, and organizational skills.
Hopefully, you are able to better understand the dynamics needed when bringing your spouse with you on the road.
If you’re looking to explore team driving or seek out carriers who allow spouses as passengers during freight delivery travels, check out AllTruckJobs.com.
