Trucking couples share what it’s like to be OTR together

Trucking teams are a hot commodity in the industry — You can keep your wheels turning by taking turns sleeping, so you can drive more miles, do more runs, make more money. These trucking couple told Business Insider what it’s like to be over the road with your spouse:

Stephanie & Frank:

Stephanie and Frank Robelo, A.K.A. The Trucking Couple, have a combined 30,000 followers and subscribers on Instagram and YouTube where they have shared content from trips around the world.  When they’re not posting online or exploring overseas, they’re hanging out in the cab of a semi, hauling freight together.

“Of course, you love the person, but you better like that person, too,” Frank said. “Picture being confined in an 8-by-10 box with them 24/7, 10 months a year. You’ve got to learn to fight fair.”

Stephanie said the truck becomes “third in the relationship.”

“You have to know when your partner is on the verge of throwing the keys at your head and leaving,” Frank said. “You have to figure out, do we just take two days off? Do we get a hotel room for the night? Or do I take her on a cruise?”

Deb & Del:

Veteran CDL-A truck drivers Deb and Del LaBree advise couples to spend a long weekend in a walk-in closet before deciding to become a trucking team.

“Even prisoners have a bigger cell than a truck,” Deb told Insider. “If you don’t kill each other after that three-day weekend, you got a good chance of trucking together.”

In the beginning, even a small argument would send Deb packing.

“You get into a little bit of an argument and you’re packing all your stuff,” Deb said. “You want to get off right there on the interstate.”

Robert & Carla:

“In the beginning, I wish we had an eject button in the truck,” Robert Holmes said about trucking with his wife Carla.

The Holmes still face unique daily challenges as a couple, Insider reported, like where to brush their teeth without a sink and how to potty train their puppy on the road. But at least they’re figuring it out together.

“Our marriage is completely different today than when we first started,” Robert said. “It’s way better.”