Team or solo, where's the money?

[LDB]

There's an interesting discussion going on over whether loads are team loads or solo loads or just loads. That leads me to the question of team or solo period. Terry regularly posts the numbers from FX on miles per truck category for teams and solos. Hopefully he will post it in this thread too. Their published numbers show teams at about 1.8 times the miles of solos. Discussions I've had with operators from various companies show similar results. Based on that it seems the only logical time to team is when all the money goes into the same pot. Teaming with someone who gets half the money means making only 90% of what a solo operator would make. Why dilute one's earnings and give up half your walk in closet when you likely would make more money and have the entire 'castle' to yourself as a solo?

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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[arkjarhead]

When i was teaming it seemed i was doing 75% of the work and only 50% of the pay. I would never team again unless it was with my wife, and the chances of her doing that are pretty slim.

 

[wshort]

Depends on if you own the truck or are just the driver,
if just the driver then yes solo is generally better paying,
however if you own the truck the extra revenue generated
by the team operations will keep you out of the poorhouse.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

If solos were making 35%, like they were a few years ago, and teams 40%, the compensation would even out a lot more. That extra 5% to the teams covered the fact that teams didn't do twice the miles solos did. Now, owners, in general, make it more profitable to solos; and they wonder why they can't find teams for their trucks.

What would make someone team instead of run solo? Safety comes to mind. Regardless of what the rules are, if I'm too tired to drive, I'm waking up the co-driver. And I would expect the same from him/her. Another is if we're running, we're not spending. In my experience, solos tend to spend more than a co-driver. I'd say that would come close to the 10% difference you're talking about.

As someone who's about to dive into ownership again, I figured if I got 120% as a team of what I'm making now running solo, I'd be ok. If the truck did 180% like Terry mentioned, I'd be extatic.

Yes, being solo gives me more freedoms and less conflict. But I won't have to worry about missing a run cause I'm tired, or doing touch and gos in the middle of an all-nighter.

Not everyone is the same. Most would rather run solo. Some, maybe who aren't decision makers, or like to be part of longer runs, or just like the companionship, would rather be part of a team. All depends what your flavor is.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!

 

[TeamCaffee]

I know I am not Terry but I do have the statistics for FedEx these are an average of 2005 and 2006:

Solos

Mile per year C Unit 67,839 D Unit 66,732
Revenue C Unit $61,250 D Unit $78,278

Teams

Miles per year C Unit 120,841 D Unit 119,950
Revenue C Unit $140,426 D Unit $146,150

These numbers are for Express Trucks

 

[Tennesseahawk]

I think that's the answer... drive team C-unit for FXCC. They make 229% of what a solo C does.

Now I'm gonna sit back and watch FXCC get flooded with C-teams :7

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!

 

[grog111]

Wow. That is an interesting statistic! I've run several different team set up's with my truck, and the typical result was about a 33% increase in gross revenue, but, after paying for the additional fuel and P.M.'s, wear and tear, additional insurance, etc.,etc., I found my co-driver was taking home more money than i was! And on the non monetary side of it, i found that dealing with other people's little idiocincricy's coupled with trying to sleep in a moving truck, while being awoken constantly for food and fuel stops, speeding up, slowing down at weigh stations, rumble strips, border crossings etc.,etc., hey, unless it's your significant other, well...it just does'nt make sense for me.

 

[LDB]

Those are interesting numbers. I believe what I saw before was White Glove numbers. I don't quite understand how the C team numbers are so high comparatively but it's interesting.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[Broompilot]

Everyone give Grog a Star or at least a point.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

I agree with Grog too. Unless you can sleep thruall that stuff, and get along with the co-driver, there's no reason to do it. And as far as the co-driver getting more than me, yes that happened. Not all the time, but when fuel prices went thru the roof in 05, and freight was low, my co-driver had a few weeks he made more. A high payment on a junk truck will do that to ya.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!

 

[nightcreacher]

I dont have the feds numbers but I know from my experiance,in a tractor,teams will do much better than the other size trucks.
After I pay my co driver,the extra wear and tear and fuel used,my net per month is much better than when I run single, in fact my net will be better than double what I do single.
home for Easter week end,back on road Monday,to be in Memphis tuesday morning

 

[flatbedin]

I just want to know where you find a good team member?

I am either woken up axle deep in mud. Lost in New York. He's tired. The list could go on..

It seems like every time I put a team member in the truck, I loose money... No thank you, I'll runner myself..

 

[nightcreacher]

not hard finding good team member,hard to keep,they all want to drive solo