The Trucking Tandem
Written by Matthew Harrell As the Baby Boomer generation has started to make its way out of the office and into retirement, many are looking for ways to stay active without having to work a traditional nine-to-five job. In addition, couples and good friends who want a freer schedule and the ability to be their own boss choose team driving. For the husband and wife duo of Mark and Lori Crocker, team driving seemed like a perfect fit for their lifestyle.
Mark and Lori Crocker hail from Bastrop, TX, and drive for Schneider National. Mark and Lori are very different in their trucking backgrounds. Mark has been in the trucking industry for ten-and-one-half years and has traveled all over the country hauling loads. Lori, on the other hand, just received her CDL from Schneider National approximately two months ago and is new to driving big rigs. I’ve had to shift gears between being a mother, being a truck driver, being a wife, being a daughter … so that’s really been quite an adjustment, but you just hang with it, commented Lori.
While the couple has only been on the road for two months, they have already had some interesting stories on their travels. One such story happened while driving in Tennessee. Mark wanted to treat Lori to a burger and fries for lunch. After deciding on Hardee’s, they both tried to figure out the closest location. While Lori flipped the pages in her handy truck stop guide, Mark nonchalantly uttered, Exit 87. Lori sat in the truck amazed, but decided to test the extent of Mark’s geographical knowledge by asking him the capitol of Vermont. Mark quickly replied, I have no idea. Lori laughed, You don’t know the capitol of Vermont but you can find a truck stop with a Hardee’s restaurant?!Although Mark and Lori have already shared many fond memories on the open road, they admit the frequency is not all fun and games. Being away from family and friends is hard for both drivers. Luckily Mark and Lori’s family support them and their decision to work away from home. You have to have such good support from your family, which I do. They are very supportive about me driving, commented Lori. Mark jokingly chimed in, And [the support of] your husband!
When asked to give advice to future team drivers, the couple felt that meeting the driver before getting in the truck was essential in determining compatibility. A common theme seemed to be communication between the two drivers in order to make long travels as smooth as possible. The couple advised that a new driver should be open about pet peeves (i.e. loud radio, smoking, snoring, etc.) so that their partner can do his or her best to accommodate. While the couple admits that not all drivers paired together will make a good team, Lori concluded by stating, There will be some days when all you want to do is just hang it up–but stay with it.
Fast Facts about the Trucking Tandem:
Truck: Freightliner Century Class
Favorite Satellite Radio Stations: NASCAR Channel, The 80′s Stations, Blue Collar Comedy Tour
Favorite Truck Stops: Flying J’s
Favorite thing about being a trucker: The freedom of the road; nobody watching over your shoulder
Least Favorite thing about being a trucker: Being away from family
Matthew Harrell, Staff Writer for CareersinGear.com Magazine, is currently a senior at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Harrell performs industry research as well as conducts interviews and writes articles for CareersinGear.com Magazine and CareersinGear.com, leading sources for truck driving jobs and other trucking job search tools. For more articles by Matthew Harrell, check out the trucking news section in CareersinGear.com.
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