Definite Don’ts While Driving with a Long Haul Partner

There are plenty of posts online about what to do in order to work well with a driving partner, but what they’re all saying is the exact opposite without being obvious. It’s more about what you shouldn’t do that is the worthwhile advice. A good example of this outside of driving is that you should always give flowers to your wife on Valentine’s Day- the impression being that if you don’t, you’ll catch hell. Therefore, the advice is really telling you what not to do- show up empty handed.

Driving with a partner is a kind of marriage in that sense, where two drivers work together towards a common goal. To reach it, they need to work smoothly as a team. This goal means more money at the end of the week in the paycheck, as a competent tandem team can keep on the road almost constantly, with breaks to fuel up and grab some chow. To keep this relationship going strong, there are a couple of things you don’t want to do.

Personal Hygiene

You most certainly don’t want to forget to take a shower whenever the opportunity arises. Guys have a code they won’t say something about another man’s stank, but if it gets bad enough, they’ll speak up by looking for another partner. Think about it from your own perspective- do you want to driver with a partner who travels with their own personalized Meadowland’s air freshener under their armpits?

Personal Space

Don’t forget that everyone has personal space, even if you’re driving with your best friend. If they’re reading a magazine, don’t pull it away to get a better look. If they’re scanning the radio, don’t push aside their hand because you think you can scan faster. And for the love of everything holy on the road, if they’re talking up a waitress at a grease pit, don’t get in the middle and try to help. One common courtesy is to consider if they really need your help with anything before acting. This is definitely a good practice to get into in order to stay best friends on the road.

Leaving it All Up to Them

Last but not least, don’t leave all of the decisions up to them, even if they seem to want to make them. Your driving team is a 50/50 proposition, where you both either succeed or fail depending on how you both do on the road. To that end, have your decisions spread out between you both, and keep your wheels on the road the way they should be- full time and making money.