What are my options here?

Ok, so I have a situation here and I really want to clean up my act and get moving forward with my professional life. I have a bit of a checkered work history and wondering what steps I can take to turn it around. Any advice given would be much appreciated and if you're just going to be a dick, don't even bother replying because it will be ignored. My goal here is to change things, not harp on what I've done wrong. I know my faults and they are many.

The first thing that needs to be said is that for the last 5 years, my personal life has been in a shambles. I won't give you my big sob story, but it involves moving cross country, massive crippling un-medicated depression, blowing up a house (not really blown up, but it knocked the walls loose), a sister in law trying to split the wife and me up, and a host of other things. If you still want to help, read on. If not, this is your chance to get out now...

My work history...

I first got my CDL in Mar 2006 from a local haul company in Florida. It was one of those, we train you, you drive for us things. It was good experience and I ended up with my CDL, Hazmat, Doubles/Triples, and Tanker endorsements. I had plenty of seat time pulling all of the above, and also picked up a bunch of experience with Pnuematic tankers during my year and a half there. However, personality conflicts and personal issues made for some bad blood and after a year and a half I quit, but I had pissed the company off so much they wouldn't hire me back. I had a job the same day working for another company, but it didn't seem like a good fit, so I quit after a week.

I tried OTR with Werner and though I liked it, it was too stressful on the wife and kids for me to be gone and that aspect was enough to make me decide after three months, I wanted local driving only. A few months passed with no work, so I tried Werner again to see if maybe I had gotten it wrong, but again, it was just not conducive to my family situation. I know Werner's rep, and whatever you think of them, they did okay by me and I have no fault with them, though I will not go back there. The second stint was also three months. I checked and am eligible for re-hire.

So I quit a few weeks before Christmas and signed on with DTS trucking for local haul. The truck was a piece of crap Volvo that should have been retired long ago, the attitude was uncaring, there wasn't even a mattress in the sleeper and they stuck me in Miami overnight without so much as a warning. I didn't need for personal issues to interfere here, I just got out quickly just after the new year.

But that was in Jan '09. I haven't worked since, and am petrified of going back to the same situations I ran into before, especially with DTS. Most of my problems have been my fault, but I feel I am in a much better situation an more able to cope with issues than before.

Moving forward...

But what are my options? We have relocated cross country, and I really want to give this another try. Who wants to hire a driver who's been out of it for over a year and a half with a record that is spotty at best? I have sent off for a copy of my DAC report, but I doubt there will be anything on it. I don't have any violations, so that's a plus. I did just do a DOT physical and the doctor cleared me. Another plus.

One thought I had, instead of hiring on somewhere was picking up a daycab (purchase or lease) and hiring it out, but I honestly don't know the business that well and am kind of worried about the logistics of it.

So does anyone have any suggestions?

 

I'm in NE Indiana. If I go to another school, do most places offer refreshers, or do I need to take the whole thing over again? I think the fact that legally I am clean is a pretty good plus.

As for handling my stuff, honestly, I don't think I was a bad driver when it came to skills; I just had some emotional issues. Again, no sob stories here, but I think I am coming to terms with things. Let's just say they were pretty intense and leave it at that...