I have newbie questions galore. Hope not too many.

1.) Do team drivers make a lot more money than solo drivers?

2.) I don't see the difference in work load between OTR and regional. Is there? Maybe regional has more local stops and load/unload duties?

3.) Can there be more home time if you go regional instead of OTR?

4.) My first choice is Schneider National, because they will train me and provide a truck for the CDL exam, and then hire me for at least a year. I cannot presently afford a private CDL school, and frankly, I don't trust any of them. Schneider has a terminal 30 minutes from my place in New Milford, CT.

5.) I don't know what type of load I would prefer to drive: van, reefer, tanker, flatbed. Vans are most common, but I believe tankers pay more, and they look a bit easier to back up. Any thoughts? Companies want you to declare a preference right off the bat, but new drivers don't know squat.

1) No, team drivers don't make more money. They get more miles, which effectively doubles the take-home pay. But the pay is shared. What you need to ask yourself is, do I want to LIVE AND WORK with a stranger, to earn just as much money as I can driving solo? If you think roommates are annoying, try working with one!

2) Can't answer this one, but assume that regional would require more stops, unless you get a dedicated line.

3) Yes, definitely. However, regional work is usually reserved for drivers with some amount of OTR experience.

4) At least Schneider isn't too evil. But don't think you can't afford CDL school. A guy I know is getting his CDL school tuition paid 100% by the state. Call up a local CDL school. Do so anonymously, if you wish. Ask them about financing options, and what programs are available to help people who are limited on funds.

5) It really shouldn't matter that much, except that you'll need a tanker endorsement on your license if you want to pull that. Also, you will PROBABLY need a hazmat endorsement for tankers, as well. Hazmat is a pain in the butt, so that's probably why tankers pay more. Reefer is just a van with environmental equipment on it. More to inspect pre-trip and each stop. But I've read that pulling reefer can be an advantage, as you have more loads available. (reefers can be used as dry van, when no temp. control load is available) If you want to pull flatbed, you will need to learn load securement (you should learn that anyway!). Also with flatbed, you will be inspecting tie-downs and doing some tarping/untarping work. Some people think flatbed sucks because of load securement and tarping work. But if you pull a van/reefer, you will do a lot of lumping, so I don't see what the difference is. You aren't going to be "lumping" something that requires a flatbed to haul it, obviously. But then, you aren't going to be tarping reefer loads. -Dave