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Troy: Alright hello and welcome. Today is January 2 and you’re listening to the 23rd episode of BigRigBanter. I’m your co-host Troy Diffenderfer
Lenay: And I’m your favorite co-host Lenay Ruhl
Troy: And I apologize listeners, I’m a little under the weather so Lenay’s going to do most of the talking here. But we do have an exciting episode for you. Lenay, it’s 2019. How is your new year going so far?
Lenay: Pretty good so far, actually went to the Mummer’s Parade in Philadelphia for the first time, so that was pretty cool. And I know Troy probably doesn’t want me to say this on the air, but I’d like to announce, ladies, that he is currently, officially off the market. He got engaged over Christmas break. Troy you wanna….
Troy: Yeah, that’s right. I gave my now fiancé the best gift possible, which is myself forever!
Lenay: Coughing loudly. Maybe she’ll come to her senses.
Troy: Sadly Lenay will have to share her time with me. I know she’s heartbroken as well.
Lenay: laughing.
Troy: But Lenay, how was your Christmas? Did you end up on the naughty or nice list? I think I can answer that already.
Lenay: Hey, you know, I got a few presents, even though I was not good. Well maybe a few times this year but…
Troy: Sounds good
Lenay: No engagement rings for me, so you know… laughing
Troy: Yeah, but folks, we have an exciting episode on tap. we’re talking to a mother-daughter duo all about team truck driving. That’s right, team truck driving. We have ton of positions on AllTruckJobs available. It’s one of the positions that many people are asking about us on Facebook and our FAQs. It’s certainly an exciting career to pursue, but Lenay, why don’t you tell us more about that?
Yeah so with team driving you obviously drive together and you kind of split the responsibilities of the road. I got to talk to a mother daughter team. They drive for Werner Enterprises and they shared with us their experience on the road, which is unique because they’re related. But yeah, you can give it a listen. They’re going to share with us some of the qualities that are important when you’re picking a team driver partner and also what the experience is like when it comes down to pay and scheduling and things like that.
Troy: Yeah that’s really exciting. We spoke to Todd McCann in a previous episode, who had experience driving with his wife, so it is really cool to turn your job into a family affair, whether it’s the mother daughter, or husband and wife, team. But you can also end up getting linked up with random people that can become your companion on the road as well. But enough of us talking, let’s listen to that interview:
Intro Music
Lenay: This is Lenay and I’m here today with two team drivers from Werner. How are you today?
Dorwenda: Pretty good, how are you?
Lenay: Good, good, thanks for jumping on a call with me.
Dorwenda: Absolutely.
Lenay: So, do you ladies want to introduce yourselves and just give our listeners a brief description of your relationship on the road?
Dorwenda: Hi. I’m Dorwenda Bynum Lewis and I’m a Werner driver for three years and I drive with my co-driver Sanaye.
Sanaye: And then I’m Sanaye, and I drive with my mom. We started at the same time and we went through training together and everything, so now we’re team driving.
Lenay: That’s really awesome! What made you decide to drive together?
Sanaye: Well we were definitely at a transitional period in our lives at that point and time and so, I think we hadn’t spent a lot of time with each other in the years since, or over the years past, so we decided why not go and travel and be able to spend time with each other and see this little kind of corner of the world while we could?
Lenay: Yeah, no, that’s awesome. I’m trying to picture my mom and I driving together but my mom is afraid to drive on the highway so I don’t think it would work out too well.
Sanaye: Laughing. Probably not.
Lenay: So when you decided to start driving together, what were some of the benefits or disadvantages to team driving that you weighed out that brought you to your decision?
Sanaye: well I think that it was definitely knowing that we had each other’s best interests and our safety was in each other’s hands… I mean, you can’t really trust anyone more than the person who gave you life.
Lenay: True.
Sanaye: So, I think that was definitely really an easy decision for me, at least, to make.
Dorwenda: I think for me it was, once the decision was made that we were going to actually drive trucks, it was just knowing that we were going to be able to spend lots of time with each other and solidify the bond that we already have with each other. So, it was just an easy decision. We knew what our goals were. We knew what we wanted ultimately out of this experience, and we shared that commonality.
Lenay: Sure. And so when you’re on the road you take turns driving… so I’m guessing that means you can cover more miles that way?
Sanaye: Definitely, yeah, that’s exactly what it means.
Dorwenda: Primarily, Sanaye drives during the evenings and I drive during the day time so that we’re always on some sort of a schedule. It might be a loose schedule but it’s a pretty decent schedule for most of the time.
Sanaye: As best as we can, yeah definitely.
Lenay: Sure, and then how far do you typically travel or how often are you on the road in a given week?
Sanaye: So, typically, we do between 5 and 7,000 miles a week. Granite that depends on how our clocks work and everything like that, but yeah, we cover a lot of ground. We’re 48 state drivers so we have no restrictions. We’re just, wherever they send us, we go.
Lenay: Alright. You don’t have to answer this question if you don’t want to but I’m just imagining my mom and Ion the road, like I said. Do you have some disagreements or how do you cope with being in such a small space together for such a long period of time?
Sanaye: Well I would say it’s pretty easy just because I think…. before we started, I think that was kind of a concern, like how do you have your personal time where you just kind of breathe deeply without being on top of one another? And honestly, we don’t really see each other that much just because you have to sleep and you have to drive, so the time where we do spend with each other is probably about an hour or two a day. So, it feels really normal once you get into a routine
Dorwenda: Yeah and the great part of it, like she said, you know, every 10 hours we’re switching over clocks and so it’s usually when we’re switching over our clock. It’s during that time when you’re doing your pre-trip and you’re walking around the truck and you’re grabbing something to eat or making dinner for the other person, is when we actually have that time to kind of spend with each other. And then we also make sure that we take time to get off the truck every now and then to just go and do something fun, whether it’s going for a hike or a walk around a park or something like that. We just make sure we take that time so that we have the ability to be able to reflect on different things besides driving.
Lenay: Right, and I mean, that’s kind of the point perk to being in 48 states, is that you get to see a lot of the country. Do you have a favorite thing that you’ve seen so far together?
Sanaye: Oh geez. I’m not sure actually. I’d say, a favorite experience would probably be going through the Rocky Mountains for the first time in the truck was just surreal. It was like, I can’t believe we’re moving this massive vehicle through this like extreme terrain. So that was really cool. I was the one driving through it and I was just like, “Mom, I can’t believe this is happening.” so that was really cool.
Dorwenda: Definitely the Rockies. When she told me about that, her first experience, that was pretty neat. I think driving through the back roads, going through parts of the Grand Canyon and seeing that was also really beautiful… just watching the sun set as you’re going through these canyons, you know, it was just, it was something that I’ll never forget.
Lenay: Yeah. before we started recording, I told you guys that I drove across the country. I can relate to the Rocky Mountains story because I was just in my little car and I’m like, I don’t even know if I’m going to make it up this mountain, you know.
Sanaye: Yeah it feels impossible but it’s awesome
Lenay: Yeah. I used to think that we had mountains in Pennsylvania. Now I realize that they are hills.
Dorwenda & Sanaye: Laughing.
Lenay: So, obviously, mother daughter, you knew each other before you started driving together, but what are some important qualities that you each have that you think make it fit so well, besides, you know, your relationship being family?
Sanaye: I think we both have a lot of patience, and I think that that’s important because you have to have patience when you’re dealing with the different people that you come across every day and with each other. And, like, being able to understand that like there’s a goal. I think that you have to kind of set in stone of what you want to accomplish or what you want to do and, we’re both on the same wavelength with that.
Dorwenda: I also think that you have to have effective communication skills. It’s really important for that same reason. You want to make sure that you can talk to each other but also be able to talk to all different kinds of people, because there are people who you come across that either don’t understand what you’re doing or have a preconceived notion about who you are based on your chosen field at that time. So it’s really having strong communication skills and being able to articulate them effectively to multiple people, whether it’s the folks who work in Werner, our freight team, and things like that, or whether it’s someone in the shippers or where we deliver to different places. I think all of that is really important. I think that that’s something that we both possess, an ability to be able to work with whatever group we’re with, or to be able to kind of translate to that given group so that they know what we’re trying to do; what our goals are; what our plan is; and making sure that everyone is on the same page.
Lenay: Yeah absolutely. And another thing I wanted to remember to ask you, is how does the pay work? Do you just split the paychecks? Do you each get your own? And if you can talk about the difference between team driving pay verses if you were driving by yourself?
Sanaye: Ok, yeah. So, basically, the way it works is we get paid… well, companywide, the pay for teams comes out as $100,000 to $150,000 per year. That’s for the truck. Then that number is split in half. We each get our own individual paychecks. So, whatever miles we drive in a given week – we get paid weekly – so we get two separate paychecks just split straight down the middle. And I think that’s actually something that’s really important for people to know when they are thinking about team driving, because there’s going to be some weeks where just the way the clocks work, you’re not going to be driving as much as the other person. For us it’s not a big deal. We don’t really care that it gets split straight down the middle. I can imagine it could be potentially frustrating for some people if you’re not able to do as much or if you are doing more. But it comes with the job.
Dorwenda: I think that that’s one of the things that goes back to why us being a team… for us it’s easy being a team. I think remembering, when you’re thinking about becoming a team with someone, to think about some of those things that do make a difference for you. We don’t have to worry about home time, because we know we’re going to take home time together. We don’t have to worry about our spirituality because we share the same spirituality. We don’t have to worry about hygiene and all that kind of stuff because those are all the same qualities that we both possess; we both share those same qualities. So, when we’re thinking about, when we talk to other people about being a team with someone, we always remind them… you know, think about some of those things. Think about who you’re going to be teaming up with and how that’s going to affect everything that you do. Are you comfortable with knowing that one week you might drive 70 hours and the other person might drive 55 hours, just because of the way the clocks are set up, but that the paycheck is still going to be split down the middle between the two of you? Those kinds of conversations are really important to have with your potential teammate. Again, for us it’s really easy because, you know, we have a unique situation.
Lenay: Yeah, no, absolutely. That’s a really good point. Is there any other advice you would give to someone who is considering team driving?
Sanaye: I think you’re not completely used to sharing a space with somebody. While you’re training you share a space and you think you’re going to get into your own truck, and so, we already had an idea that, ok, so, we’re always going to be sharing a much smaller space than say, an apartment, or something like that, you would have a roommate. It’s essentially like having a roommate but you’re just in a much smaller space and you’re constantly driving. So, it’s just keeping that in mind… that there’s always going to be somebody there. And I love that part. I think that’s great and I have met so many people who love it as well, but that’s a personality thing. Not everybody likes that idea once they’re actually in the moment. I’d also say….
Dorwenda: I think one thing to remind people to think about when they’re thinking about teaming is to make sure that they know the other person enough. Like, just know them enough to know, this is this person’s quirks. This is how they like to stop every 45 minutes because they’re a smoker; they need to eat a certain type of diet, so they’re going to be going to certain places to eat their food. They stop every night for a shower and their showers are an hour long. Those little things that seem like they wouldn’t be a big deal that you don’t think about when you’re living in a traditional situation like an apartment are things that you really have to think about when you’re actually on a truck. You have to think about, what am I going to be doing, how am I going to be living this life? Am I going to be driving three weeks and then taking a week vacation or two-day vacation? Am I going to be driving for five months and taking a week? That kind of stuff is going to be really important when you’re sharing a truck with someone who isn’t related to you or you’re not in any kind of relationship with and your lives are very separate from each other.
Lenay: Yeah for sure. I mean I’ve had some pretty interesting roommates over the years, so I’m just imagining sharing a cab with any of them.
Sanaye: Laughing. Yeah, exactly
Lenay: Before we jump off the call, can you describe your truck for me, because I heard you’re driving a pretty special truck!
Sanaye: Yes, I’ll let my mom explain this one.
Dorwenda: So, we are actually very privileged and honored to be driving the Susan G. Komen, Race for the Cure truck. It’s a collaboration between Werner and Susan G. and it’s a wrapped truck that is pink, gray, and white, and it has the breast cancer logo on the side of it. It’s really neat because “Be more than pink,” is the new slogan this year for Susan G., and as we’re driving around we get to… people see the truck and it just reminds them to make sure that they go in and get mammograms done yearly and to remind their family members that there is someone out there that’s thinking about them. It’s very special to us that we have the opportunity to drive the truck, and yes, the truck on the inside is a dream. It has every bell and whistle you could possibly imagine, which makes it really easy to continue to drive every day. We don’t have to do a lot of stopping for very many things, but beyond all of that, it really is the honor of being able to be behind the wheel and drive and see truckers from, you know, other companies give you the thumbs up or honking at you or someone walking up to you and just saying, “Thank you so very much because my mother, my grandmother, my uncle, have breast cancer or passed away from breast cancer. It’s so neat to be able to see someone talk about it.
Lenay: Yeah well, I’ll have to keep an eye out when I’m on the highway for one of those trucks.
Sanaye: Definitely
Lenay: Is there anything else that either of you would like to say before we jump off the call, either about team driving or being women in trucking? You can throw anything you want to say out there. Most of our listeners are truck drivers, so…
Dorwenda: No, you know, I would just say that we absolutely love our company. We think Werner is probably one of the best companies out there when it comes to truck driving. This industry has grown massively and changed so much in the last… you know, even just the three or four years even that we’ve been with the company, that we’re just really excited. We love team driving and we really hope that more people consider doing things like team driving, because it does get you out there more and it does allow you both to be able to see more of the country than if you were solo driving. Werner has over 700 teams right now, which is amazing. We hope it just keeps growing stronger and better and we do hope that there are more women that join up and join the forces for driving. We just hope that people realize that through this experience you’re able to really learn a lot about yourself and who you are. Essentially, you’re your own independent person when you’re out there driving. It’s you and the truck. And you know, you’re watching out for all these different things that are taking place, and it’s just nice if people realized how important this industry is and that anyone can do it if you just have the capability to sit in a truck long enough to get down the road. It’s a fun thing to do. It’s a fun experience; a challenging experience at times, but a very, very fun experience. We really do appreciate the ability to be able to do it every day.
Lenay: Absolutely. And thank you so much for sharing your experience with me and with our drivers. You know, I can’t really… you know, Ican read articles online but it’s really cool to just hear a first-hand experience from both of you.
Sanaye: Oh, thank you. It’s been fun talking.
Lenay: Yes. Well, I’ll let you get back on the road.
Dorwenda: Thank you so very much.
Lenay: Thank you
Sanaye: Have a good day!
Lenay: You too. Safe driving!
Dorwenda: Thank you, bye
Lenay: Bye
Music
Lenay: Ok so we just heard from Dorwenda and Sanaye from Werner Enterprises. Thank you so much for coming on the show. We learned a lot from them about what it’s like to team drive. They have a unique situation being mother and daughter, but some of the qualities they said were important for team driving are communication, patience… Something that I thought was really interesting that they brought up was having similar schedules… so wanting similar time off from work. Because if you want off to go to the beach in July but your team driver doesn’t, then that can be problematic. And then also the willingness to split the paycheck, because you want to make sure you’re driving with someone who can carry equal weight on the road. You’re splitting the paycheck down the middle no matter if you only drove 40 hours and your partner drove 50, so that’s really important to keep in mind as well. So, what do you think Troy, you think we could team drive together? We can quit this podcast right now and go get our CDL.
Troy: You know, I’ve definitely thought about this a lot and I know exactly how it would go, because I know that you don’t drive in any kind of bad weather. I know I’d be doing a lot of driving and you would be sleeping in the back of the cab while I did the driving.
Lenay: Laughing. Yeah but I feel like, you know, we could have a lot of fun with it because you’d drive, I’d take pictures, I’d help you stay awake the whole time. We’d have good music… similar taste in music! Great snacks. I don’t know. I think it could be just like a really fun road trip where you drive and we both get paid.
Troy: Mmm… I think I’d make more of a solo driver and then maybe I’ll pick you up as a hitch hiker for a couple days.
Lenay: Laughing. You might find me hitch hiking. It’s on my bucket list.
Troy: Yeah, I think that makes more sense.
Lenay: And speaking of hitch hiking… what is your most interesting story on the road? We’d love to hear from more drivers, so if you want to direct message us on Facebook or Twitter, we’d love to hear your favorite road stories.
Troy: But uh, thanks again folks. This is a great episode on team driving. We’re kicking off 2019 on a good note. Lenay, do you have anything else to add before we wrap up?
Lenay: I just want to say if you like what you hear please leave us a review on whatever platform you’re listening to BigRigBanter. We’d really appreciate your feedback!
Troy: Alright, thanks folks. I’m your co-host Troy Diffenderfer
Lenay: And I’m your favorite co-host, Lenay Ruhl.
Troy: And this has been BigRigBanter.
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