Slip seating is a term used by the trucking industry describing the method in which drivers share a truck. Many of these drivers are not assigned a particular tractor but whatever is available for that day. Once the driver’s shift is done, another hops in the same cab to begin theirs and so on. This happens more frequently than not.
Why Companies Are Slip Seating
The largest reason for slip seating is greater equipment utilization. Equipment costs are rising due to new enhancements to comply with government regulations and technology and many carriers cannot afford to purchase a truck for each individual driver. Therefore, they are utilizing their trucks to their fullest capabilities. As Trincon Group’s Duff Swain notes, most new trucks today come with a 700,000-mile warranty and only require “idle time of two or four hours every 25,000 miles for an oil change.”(1)
What Drivers Are Saying
Several truck drivers stressed a strong dislike towards slip seating stating the below reasons:
*The need to empty out all of their belongings after each shift, especially after a long over-the-road trip which requires emptying out sleeper, sometimes taking several hours to do so. One driver even noted having an injury and being unable to empty out all of his items in time, leading many to be stolen.
*How fellow drivers take care of the equipment was another major concern, noting several instances of neglect including cleanliness of the inside, grease on the steering wheel, flat ties, cigarette odor, fenders missing, radio left blasting, compliance books missing…the list goes on.
*The coronavirus has added to these concerns as drivers hop in the truck not knowing if the driver before him/her was feverish orsick. How do you practice safe “social distancing” in these cases?
Road Scholar Transport
Road Scholar Transport does not “slip seat drivers,” meaning our drivers are assigned their own truck, utilizing the same sterile “office space” on each and every move and are thereby not exposed to others’ germs.
Need products to market quicker? Try Road Scholar Transport’s same day relay service. We can get your freight from points like Connecticut to Chicago same day without hours of service violations or the high cost of driver teams. Here are some benefits:
*Strategically placed terminals in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic allow for easy freight relays. Terminals, relay, and cross-dock locations reaching 88% of northeast U.S. manufacturing and distribution in under 30 minutes.
*Driver slip seat, drop and hook, or full dock operations to swing freight to new equipment quickly.
*Relay can get products to market 50% faster.
*Relay velocity provides longer shelf life for products and more time for customers or distributors to spend with their customers.
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