This has not happened to us but the stories are endless of one team driver calling the other one saying, "HEY, you left without me!"
This problem of losing a team partner usually happens when the person driving stops for a rest break, comes back out to the truck, starts the truck, puts it in gear and drives off thinking their partner is still asleep in the bunk. This sounds far fetched, but it happens, and it happens far to often.
We have heard stories of husbands, wives, and partners leaving their partner and getting many miles down the road before they are either called, the QC beeps, or even the police stops them. Depending on if the partner got out of the truck with their cell phone on how they reach out and let others know they have been left behind.
When Bob was with his trainer at a large carrier they had a signal, when they went to the sleeper they left their shoes in the front. If those shoes where gone so was the sleeping partner. This idea did not work for us so we created our own code.
When either of us gets out of the truck we leave a light on in the back and the sleeper curtain opened slightly. In the daytime we leave the sleeper curtains all the way open. These methods have worked well for us and I am happy to say we have not left the other behind as we drive off.
Have you left a team driver or do you have a plan to keep this from happening?