TEAM DRIVER DISPATCH
Team driver dispatch that keeps both clocks working and the truck rolling
A team truck only pays when it moves like one: long runs, tight deliveries, swaps that fit both drivers' hours. Our team driver dispatch books freight that pays for two seats, plans each swap around hours of service, and brings every load to you for a yes or no. One truck, one fee.
DRIVER A
Driving
DRIVER B
Sleeper berth
One unit, two clocks. The swap is where the plan works or fails.
UNIT 02
Freight that pays for a second driver
A team truck that hauls solo freight is a solo truck with double the payroll. Here's what team freight looks like and the math to check it.
| Freight | Why teams win it |
|---|---|
| Long coast-to-coast lanes | Delivered in roughly half the time a solo driver needs |
| Time-critical and expedited | Delivery windows a solo driver can't legally make |
| High-value freight | Shippers who want the truck to keep moving, not parked overnight |
| Dedicated team lanes | Repeat runs built around a team schedule |
EXAMPLE A 2,100 mile load from Los Angeles to Atlanta. A solo driver needs about four days with rest breaks; a team can do it in about two. A solo rate of $5,200 becomes a team-worthy load at $6,300 if the shipper needs it in two days. The extra $1,100 has to cover the second driver's pay for those days, and more. If the shipper won't pay for speed, a solo truck should take it.
The bigger question is the week, not the load. A team running 5,000 or more miles a week needs a load waiting at every delivery, because a team sitting for a day burns two drivers' time. That's where the desk earns its fee: reloads booked before the truck arrives, in the right direction for the next swap and the drivers' home time.
Splitting pay fairly between the two drivers matters as much as the rate. Work it out with the team driver pay split calculator.
Do a quick check before you put a second driver in a truck. Take a normal solo week: the miles, the gross, the driver pay. Now double the driver pay and roughly double the miles, and price those miles at the rates team freight pays in your lanes, not at solo rates. If the team week doesn't clear the solo week by a clear margin after fuel and the extra wear, the second seat isn't paying for itself yet.
Team units also change what a broker can offer you. Some shippers post loads that only a team can deliver on time, and those loads go to carriers the broker knows can run them. Once the desk has shown a broker that your team unit delivers coast to coast on schedule, the next team load often comes to you by phone before it reaches a board.
UNIT 03
Two clocks, one unit: plan the swaps
Move the start time and the shift length. The bars show each driver's day; the checks show whether the rest between shifts works.
The rules behind it: each driver may drive up to 11 hours after 10 hours off, may not drive past the 14th hour after coming on duty, and needs a 30-minute break from driving after 8 hours of driving Hours of service, property carriers11 hours driving in a 14-hour window after 10 hours off; 30-minute break after 8 hours driving49 CFR 395.3(a): after 10 consecutive hours off duty, a property-carrying driver may drive up to 11 hours, and may not drive after the 14th hour since coming on duty. A 30-minute interruption in driving is required after 8 cumulative hours of driving. 395.3(b): no driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 in 8 days; a 34-hour off-duty period restarts the count.49 CFR 395.3Checked Oct 2026. The sleeper berth provision lets a driver split the 10 hours into one period of at least 7 hours in the berth and another of at least 2 Sleeper berth provisionSplit 10 hours: one period of 7+ hours in the berth plus one of 2+ hours49 CFR 395.1(g)(1): a property-carrying driver may meet the 10-hour off-duty requirement with two rest periods, one of at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and the other at least 2 hours, totaling 10. Up to 3 hours riding in the passenger seat right before or after the berth time can count with 7 hours in the berth. Qualifying periods don't count against the 14-hour window.49 CFR 395.1(g)Checked Oct 2026. Teams live on that split.
Most teams settle into swaps every 10 to 11 hours, which gives each driver a full 10-hour break while the other drives. Shorter swaps mean more alert drivers but put more weight on the split rules. The desk plans swaps at safe, legal parking near fuel, not on a shoulder, and builds the load's appointments around them. This is a plain explanation and a planning aid, not legal advice.
Pairing drivers
Teams fail over people, not miles. Two drivers who disagree about smoking, music or how hard to brake while the other sleeps won't last a month. Many of the steadiest teams are spouses or longtime friends. Ask both drivers what they need before you build the unit. Then write down how pay splits, who drives which shifts, and what happens if one of them quits mid-trip.
Home time for two
Two drivers means two home-time requests, and they don't always match. The desk plans the loop so both get home on the schedule you've agreed, and tells you early when a load would break it.
The truck works harder
A team truck can run twice the miles of a solo truck, so maintenance comes due twice as fast. Plan service around the team's home time so the truck isn't down on a week the freight is good.
UNIT 04
Team dispatch questions
EXAMPLE The $6,300 team load above costs $252 in dispatch for a fleet of two or more trucks, or $315 for a single team truck. Pass on it and it costs nothing.
Team trucks often run expedited freight too; see our expedited dispatch page. Every tier and the new authority step-down are on the dispatch rates page.
Our opinion: don't build a team truck to fix a slow solo truck. Build one when you can see team freight in your lanes, at team rates, week after week. Ask the desk to log the team loads it sees in your lanes for a month first; if they keep showing up at team rates, the second driver has work waiting.
01What is team driver dispatch?
Dispatching a truck with two drivers who take turns, so the truck keeps moving while one driver rests in the sleeper. The desk books loads long enough or urgent enough to pay for two drivers, plans the swap points around both drivers' hours, and keeps the truck rolling instead of parking for a 10-hour break.
02Do team trucks earn more per week?
They run more miles per week, so gross is usually higher, and team freight often pays a premium for speed. But you're paying two drivers, so profit per truck depends on getting team-rate freight, not solo freight run faster. Compare weekly margin with the two-driver cost before you build a team unit.
03How do sleeper berth rules work for teams?
Each driver keeps their own hours. A driver can drive up to 11 hours after 10 off, within a 14-hour window. The sleeper berth provision lets the 10 hours be split into a period of at least 7 hours in the berth and another of at least 2. Teams use this so one driver sleeps while the other drives. Your ELD is the record of what counts.
04How much does team dispatch cost?
The same as solo: 5% of gross for one truck, 4% per truck for two or more, and 7% while your MC is under 6 months old. We charge per truck, not per driver, so a team truck pays one fee.
Two drivers, one unit, no wasted hours
Tell us about your team trucks and drivers. A dispatcher calls back with team-rate freight and swap plans, and every load is your call.
4% for 2+ trucks, 5% for one, 7% while your MC is new