I'm gonna see if I cant pick your brains here. I live in central Illinois and I'm really thinking about going to school near St. Louis at MTC driving school. Most everything I see on here regarding the big carriers is negative. I would like to eventually work locally but I understand that I have to do the OTR thing for a while before thats a possibility. My wifes uncle makes midwest runs that he seems to like a lot but he's on the road for a while right now and I cant get ahold of him. Do any of you know of a respectable company that I could sign with out of school (it will be for either 12 or 14 months to help pay for school) that will offer good miles, decent hometime and good equipment for a newb looking to get some experience?
The recruiter I talked with at the school says that I'll get pre-hires before I even start school, and that they work with about 60 carriers, which sounds good, but I want to make sure I go with the right company.
Any advice would be great since I really dont know a whole lot about this game yet!

I would stay away from the swifts, werners, usa, etc's. I am with maveick and I like them. They have nice equipment with all the safety features. Pay is good and I am home on weekends.

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

Yes, you want to make sure that you go with the right company so you don't have to job hop. You want that first job to be at least a year so you gain experience and get that tuition reimbursement that so many companies offer. Do your research on the companies. What works for one person might not work for someone else. Figure out what is important to you and go from there. Decent hometime for one person might mean getting home once a week for a day, and to the next guy it might mean being able to take two weeks off every two months. Read up on the good companies threads here to get a feel for what is out there in your area. Don't believe everything that you read, but know that if a hundred guys are saying the same thing there might be some truth to it.