In my case 'joint' meant a 250 mile round trip to pick my 5 year old up for his every other weekend visit and a 250 mile round trip to drop him off.
My court mandated mid-week visit became impossible due to the distance.
When I complained to the judge involved, he told me that 'you could do it if you wanted to. Why don't you take Wednesdays off work?'
That is what was called 'joint custody' in Illinois.
L