I just started school with diesel driving academy and i have questions.
i wanted to drive otr but now i want to drive regional or something with hometime every weekend because i will have a new addition to the family in January. Is is hard to get a job driving regional fresh out of school? or will i do better driving local? My last questions is how much does the average regional trucker make?
Im most interested in driving for tmc and maverick because i heard the typically be home on weekends and i really want to flatbed. any pointers or suggestions?

 

your best bet for $$ and hometime will be LTL companies...some will take noobs, some dont, try R+L, Saia, Conway, AAA Cooper and whoever else is in your area. Get your hazmat and doubles end. when u take the cdl test. Other than that u will fall asleep behind the wheel in a Maverick truck or Tmc , Mav doesnt even do 65 mph anymore (that i see) and tmc is even slower.

 

your best bet is get your over the road experience first and then come in because most companies won't touch you with out otr experience but good luck !!!!

 

get a job for a good ltl company. one that pays time and half after 8 hours. some dont pay time and half untill after 40 or 50 hours are reached has to do with railroad transportation act many hire out of school guys but might have you do dock work. first could go on a while. but money is there. hours suck .

 

I totally agree with jfsunraze. You need some road experience first.

 

Start to contact companies that you want to work for and see what they say. Some might want you to have at least 6 months otr experience. Even if you find a company that doesn't your best bet would be to get it anyway, get it done and under your belt. Start researching your companies now and start filling out those apps!