Team truck driving is a great option for people who like long trips on the road, traveling the country via highway, and companionship. Driving as a team lessens the burden on the individual driver as you can always pull over to rest so that the other driver can take over, plus you have someone to talk to. However, just as any individual truck driver knows, communication is key to team driving. Below, we will discuss the best way to improve communication and more on any trucking team.
Benefits of Team Truck Driving
Team truck driving usually offers competitive pay, but many people sign up because driving long distances sounds less lonely when you have someone there with you. It improves safety by making sure there is always someone to take over, plus it reduces boredom because you’ve buddy to talk to. And while this may be true for most cases, it doesn’t mean that team truck driving can’t be further improved upon.
Benefits of Push-to-Talk Two-Way Radios for Team Truck Driving
Implementing push-to-talk two-way radios into fleets teams may be one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve communication and driver safety.
Communication
Two-way radios are easy to use, with the ability to communicate at the literal push of a button. Ideally, the passenger on the team would be using the radio, but in the case they are sleeping or using the restroom, the driver can use the radio without looking away from the road. This allows the drivers to talk to other drivers, along with dispatch.
Long Distance
Push-to-talk two-way radios have incredibly long-range signals, allowing drivers to talk to dispatch, regardless of where they might be. Whereas with cellphones that have shotty signals that don’t work depending on where you are, you can rest assured with two-way radios that you will always be able to contact dispatch and vice versa.
GPS
Peak PTT two-way radios also come outfitted with GPS tracking technology so that dispatch can track the location of every vehicle in their fleet. This allows for dispatchers to direct drivers away from incoming traffic or severe weather, saving time on the road and improving driver safety at the same time. Also, if any of your drivers ever do get into a vehicle collision, dispatch will be able to easily locate them and relay that information to authorities.
DOT Compliance
Unlike cellphones, push-to-talk two-way radios make it easy to be compliant with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ( FMCSA).
To be compliant, the driver must have the mobile device located where he or she can initiate, terminate, or answer a call with the touch of a single button while restrained by a safety harness in a seated position.
Build Fleet Comradery
With push-to-talk two-way radios, you can allow for different vehicles in your fleet to talk with each other on the road. You can choose different channels and designate one for dispatch and another for simply chatting on the road. This will improve your drivers’ satisfaction with their job on the road and build a sense of company comradery.
We offer two main Peak PTT platforms: K2 Platform and Everest Platform, in addition to a wide variety of radios and accessories, including K2 dispatch console software and Everest dispatch console software. Check out the products and solutions, and give us a call here at PeakPTT should you have any questions. 855-600-6161