Team driver dispatch: two seats, one truck that barely stops
DRIVER A IS DRIVING
A team truck earns when it moves, and it can move while one of you sleeps. Our desk finds the long, time-critical loads that pay for that, plans them around two clocks instead of one, and lines up the next run before you deliver.
DRIVER B IS IN THE SLEEPER
And nobody wakes them up for a broker call. Load offers go to whoever you choose, the owner or the driver on duty, and nothing is booked without a yes. The rate con goes to your company, as always.
5% OF GROSS PER TRUCK · NO CONTRACT
CH 02
Two clocks on one dial
Slide each driver's driving hours and your average moving speed. The dial shows how many hours a day the wheels turn and roughly how far that takes you. Compare it with a solo truck, which tops out at 11 hours of driving in a day.
Every driver on a team keeps their own clock. Each one needs 10 hours off before driving, can drive up to 11 hours inside a 14-hour window, and stays under their own weekly limit 49 CFR 395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicleseCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source. The team advantage comes from overlapping those clocks, not from stretching either one.
The sleeper berth rules help. A driver can split the 10 hours off into two periods, one of at least 7 hours in the sleeper, and up to 3 hours riding in the passenger seat while the truck moves can count toward rest alongside the sleeper time 49 CFR 395.1(g)(1) Sleeper berths, property-carrying vehicleseCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source. Plan swaps with your logs in mind; our hours of service calculator helps.
CH 03
Freight that fits a team, and freight that wastes one
Good team freight
- Long hauls, often coast to coast, where nonstop running cuts days off the trip.
- Time-critical and expedited loads that pay for speed.
- High-value or temperature-sensitive freight where shippers want the truck moving.
- Drop-and-hook runs that keep dock time short.
Freight that wastes a team
- Short regional loads with long live loads and unloads at each end.
- Multi-stop deliveries in dense cities, where both drivers sit in traffic.
- Loads that end in slow markets, with a long wait for the next run.
- Cheap long hauls that pay per mile like solo freight, with two drivers to cover.
A team costs more to run than a solo truck: two drivers to pay or share with, more food, more wear on the truck per week. That's why the rate per mile and the length of haul matter even more for teams. We bring offers with both numbers up front, and we pass on runs that pay solo money for team work.
CH 04
How we dispatch a team truck
One decision maker per truck
Most teams pick one person to confirm loads, usually the owner. Some let whichever driver is awake say yes. Tell us which, and offers go only to that person or that rule.
Plans built on two clocks
We plan appointments around both drivers' remaining hours, so a tight delivery doesn't depend on one driver pushing past their limit.
Quiet sleeper hours
Check calls and broker updates go through the desk. We contact the driver on duty, not the one resting, unless something really can't wait.
Home time is planned for both drivers too. Some teams run three weeks and take a full week off; others come home every ten days. Tell us your rhythm and we build the long hauls to end near home on the right day. For what a normal week looks like from the driver's seat, our guide to the truck driver schedule covers solo and team routines.
Running solo for now and thinking about a long-haul setup first? Our page on OTR dispatch shows how we plan multi-day loops for one driver.
CH 05
Before you team up
A team is a business decision and a living arrangement. Two people share a space the size of a walk-in closet for weeks at a time, sleeping while the truck bounces down the interstate. The teams that last usually agree on the hard things before the first run.
- How the money is split, and who pays which costs.
- Who drives which shifts; some people drive nights far better than others.
- Smoking, music, food and how clean the cab stays.
- What happens if one driver needs to go home early.
On the paperwork side, both drivers need to be qualified to drive the truck, in your drug and alcohol program if the truck needs a CDL, and covered by your insurance. If the second driver is an employee, you also need a driver qualification file for them.
Our fee doesn't change for a team. It's the same percent of gross for the truck, whether one driver or two keep it moving. The full price list is on our dispatch costs page.
CH 06
An example team week, and how teams split the money
EXAMPLE One week, one truck, two drivers
- Sunday night: drop and hook in New Jersey, headed for Southern California. Driver A takes the first shift.
- Monday to Wednesday: the truck runs west with drivers trading the wheel, stopping for fuel, inspections and the required breaks.
- Wednesday: while they're still loaded, the desk books a produce reload out of the Central Valley, confirmed by the owner.
- Thursday: delivery, short deadhead, reload.
- Friday to Sunday: the run back east, timed to end near home before both drivers take a long break.
Coast to coast and most of the way back in a week is the kind of run a solo truck can't match.
How teams usually split pay
There's no standard, and the right answer depends on who owns the truck. The common setups:
- Owner plus a hired co-driver. The owner keeps the truck's earnings and pays the co-driver per mile, per day or a share of the gross.
- Two partners. They split the net after all truck costs, often fifty-fifty, sometimes weighted by who drives more hours.
- A couple. The money goes to one household, so the question becomes how much to set aside for the truck and taxes.
Whatever you choose, write it down before the first run. Arguments about money are a common reason teams break up, and a few written lines agreed on day one prevent most of them. Revisit the split after the first month, once you both know what the work really feels like. Our weekly report shows gross, miles and fees per truck, which makes any split easy to check.
CH 07
Team driver dispatch questions
CH 01What is team truck driving?
Two drivers share one truck. While one drives, the other rests in the sleeper berth, so the truck can keep moving close to around the clock. Teams are often couples, family members or friends who get along in a small space. The setup suits long, time-sensitive loads where a solo driver would have to stop for their rest.
CH 02How do team drivers split hours?
Each driver keeps their own logbook and their own limits: 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour on-duty window after 10 hours off, plus the weekly cap. Teams usually swap every few hours and use the sleeper berth for rest. Federal rules allow splitting the 10 hours off, which gives teams flexibility in how they trade the wheel.
CH 03How many miles do team drivers run per week?
It depends on the loads, the roads, how long each driver drives per shift and how much time goes to loading and waiting. Because the truck can move while one driver sleeps, a team can cover far more miles in a week than a solo truck. Use the clock on this page with your own numbers, not someone's best week.
CH 04What freight is best for teams?
Long hauls with tight delivery times, where nonstop running is worth paying for: expedited freight, high-value or time-sensitive loads, and coast-to-coast runs. Short regional loads waste a team's advantage, because the truck spends more time at docks than on the road. We look for long, clean runs that keep both drivers earning.
Keep both seats earning
Tell us who's driving, how long you like to stay out, and who confirms loads. We'll plan long runs around both of your clocks.