Trying to do my research

[razorwyr]

I agree with SteelHauler and his thread about the hiring process. I have been some research over the last month or so and from a list of about 60 or 70 companies that I comprised, I have narrowed down the my top 15 (give or take). I am looking for advice to help me narrow the field a little more as I am not quite sure which direction I want to take out of school. I start school on August 11 and graduate on October 6 and am just trying to get ahead in the job hunt game. I know specialized carriers typically want you to have X number of years OTR with some experience leaning toward their trailer/freight types so obviously those are out to start with. I like the fact that most of the flatbed companies seem to pay more, at least per mile, but I also like the fact that reefer companies tend to guarantee you the ability to get on average more miles. My question to help me here in narrowing the field a little more (I am still applying to all 15 or so companies just to keep my options open) is what averages out to better pay? More miles for less cpm (reefer) or higher cpm for less miles (flatbed)? I understand that every company is going to be different and performance is more than likely going to dictate miles, but I am talking an industry generalization if that is even possible. I have never worked anywhere less than a year, no matter how crappy they treated me or their other employees, so sticking it out and getting my experience won't be an issue if I do choose wrong, but I do want to make an educated decision on the best way to make an entrance into the industry. Any advice, information, or any helpful comments would be appreciated, thanks.

[1TruckDrivinSunUvAGun]

Well for me it was always do I want to work twice as hard and make the same amount of money or do I want to work less for the same amount of money? Just starting off fresh out of school take what you can get, honestly. No matter where you go it's generally going to be the same, most of these OTR mega carriers are one in the same. Odds are they aren't going to hand you a ton of miles at first. Think of it this way .25X3000mi=$750 or .30X2500=$750. Which do you want? It's just an example you may run less and you may run more. I would highly recommend staying out of reefer unless you really like grocery warehouses, the East Coast, and California. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.