It was 2011 when Steve and Gina married. Steve had been medically discharged from the U.S. Army, and Gina was working in management at a grocery store. Steve was looking for work and decided to become a professional driver. “It was an industry that was hiring, and I could make good money,” said Steve. He started his driving career at another company, but when Gina decided to join him on the road, he wanted to be able to train his wife and be team drivers. One company provided him that opportunity – Werner Enterprises. “I was waiting for my youngest son to graduate, and once he left for the military, I was ready to join Steve on the road and spend more time with him, especially now that we were married.”
Fast-forward to the fall of 2020, Gina, just achieved an elite safety milestone of driving one million accident-free miles with Werner and was given her new Freightliner truck. Her husband, Steve, isn’t far behind, with more than 830,000 accident-free miles. As they approach a decade of team driving, we wanted to know what their experience has been like driving together as husband and wife.
“Being together and sharing so many experiences has been great,” said Gina. “We are both stubborn, but we know how to handle each other. Luckily, if we ever get into an argument, Steve is over it in five minutes.”
“We connect so well with each other, and being able to take a break from work and see my wife is awesome,” said Steve.
Even though they team drive, their schedules are different. Gina drives during the day, and Steve takes the night shift. But they still make sure to make time for each other out of the truck.
“Before the coronavirus pandemic, we dropped off a load in Florida and requested a 34-hour reset,” said Steve. “It wasn’t because we needed it, but we decided to rent a car and spend two nights at a hotel on the beach together. We make sure we give each other the attention we each deserve.”
When asked if they would recommend team driving to other spouses, they didn’t even hesitate. “Yes, anyone can make it work, just make sure you put each other first,” said Steve. “If you can team drive as a couple, you can do anything together. You are a team and are there to help each other in every way. We can relate to everything we each do, and it’s a great experience to be able to handle together.”
“If I get mad, I know that I can go to the sleeper berth and shut the curtain,” laughed Gina. “We’ve had a great time driving together, and wherever we go, we can make it into a vacation too and explore the scenery.”
And with nearly a decade of keeping America Moving with Werner, Steve and Gina have no plans to leave. “Our experience with Werner has been fantastic,” said Gina. We don’t feel like just a number here. Everyone has treated us so well, we’ve always been taken care of and they always get us home on time, along with as many miles as we want. “
“We say whatever you put into a company is what you get out of it,” said Steve.
To learn more about Werner’s team truck driving opportunities, please click here.
