How to Find a Co-Driver for an OTR Team
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We have all been there when you need somebody to be there for you during a challenge; driving sometimes is no different from this. You can be the best driver out on the road but without the support of a second driver in a short time deadline to get to your delivery location. Trying to move your truck in a very tight and complex area it helps you to have an additional pair of eyes and feet on the ground to aid you in getting in or out. The support can save you a lot of time and money, especially damage to your truck or surrounding structures. 

How to find a co-driver for an OTR Team? It can be a difficult task, but there are many ways to find a co-driver for over the road positions quickly. We always recommend starting talking to your drivers. It is a massive industry. However, a small knit environment with drivers speaking to one another can find a team driver very quickly, and at no cost to your bottom line. If you fail, you can always try more traditional ways like job-boards and advertisements.

With drivers having their unique personality and matching drivers up with the right match can be challenging. Here are some recommendations 

How to Find an Over The Road Team Member?

Team Up with Your Spouse

Some business is against husband and wife working together. One of the best driver teams is when a husband and wife are teaming up together as they already have matching personalities. It is especially useful when both are qualified CDL drivers, or the one is starting a CDL career and need the guidance of a qualified driver and who better to learn from then your spouse.

Talk to Drivers You Know

With the industry so small but still growing so fast, one can quickly burn your fingers with the wrong driver. We at GetMeDrivers.com always suggest you talk to your current drivers and drivers you know about positions you need to fill, especially Over the Road teams. This has two fault benefits if the driver recommends another driver to work with, and it does not work very well, it is in his best interest to make it work, and you will have less trouble as an employer. Please ensure your driver paperwork and contracts protects you from any possible areas. You can read more about our recommendation on JOB Descriptions. 

Put Out an Ad

With technology developing at such a fast pace and information being shared globally in literally seconds, you can quickly find drivers. We recommend that you use a more traditional way of placing your ads on online job boards like GetMeDrivers.com that specialize in driver’s employment. Their key focus is to provide equal opportunities for drivers and remove the headache from employers. In most cases, have several options in all states and have a well developed online portal for drivers and employers to match up with one another. The benefit is that you can bring somebody in for a specific duration of time, and if you are not happy with the person, you can terminate and seek a new person. It will help you not to have any emotional connections or loyalty to a single or group of people.

Team Up with a Company Driver

When non of the above options works for you or your business, you can always connect with a company that provides team drivers on a contract basis for a specific period. When getting a team driver or solo driver trough a logistics company providing staff, it is the safest and easiest way to hire drivers. These companies will be putting their staff through an intense training program as they need to protect their image, and you guaranteed in most cases that you are getting a highly skilled driver. In most cases, the risk will also be shifted from yourself to them as they will have a public liability insurance cover, please make sure to check. 

When you have a less experienced driver in your fleed, you can always team him or her up with a more skilled driver to develop your driver into a better driver, and you can win in the long run from this. We always believe in investing in our drivers and try and improve them.

The Advantages of Over the Road Team Driving

With many drivers enjoying their own company and for many jobs, a single driver will be perfect. Believe it or not, there are some significant advantages of becoming an Over The Road (OTR) Driver and will have some benefits to the business and the drivers and is the ideal career for people who like to see places. 

Here are some more advantages

Increased Efficiency.

When two drivers man vehicles, they can get to the final destination quickly as they alternate the driving, which will increase productivity. Generally, faster collections and deliveries are considered to be express services and will allow you to charge an additional premium to customers.

You’ll always have company. 

Being alone on the road can be suitable for an introvert, but being alone for long periods and not able to connect and talk to somebody can have its disadvantages, especially on the long road when fatigue kicks in. A second driver or team made will help you make the trip shorted and help you keep your mind sharp. For sure, you will be able to be more productive. 

Earn more money

All Commercial drivers are subject to the number of hours that you can drive at a time. With a team driver, you will be able to swop when your time is up, and the truck can continue to get to the destination quicker. You will be seen to be a lot more productive as you will get there faster, and many customers are willing to pay for an express rate to receive stock sooner, especially with deadlines coming in to play. You will also be able to offer an overnight service.

Time on the Road

Please make sure to check what the FMCSA have to say about the allowed time a driver is allowed to operate a truck.

For great opportunities as drivers or employers looking for drivers don’t hesitate to connect with GetMeDrivers.com we are sure to fill that spot hassle-free.