General Questions about breaking into trucking industry

I was recently laid off from my job and am now looking at other types of employment (like the other 10% of the people in my state that are currently laid off), including trucking. I do not know anything about it, other that what I have read in this forum or heard from a few of my friends that are truckers. Like anything new, there is a lot of info to retain and digest, plus not being familiar with it I do not know fact from personal opinion. My questions may have already been asked by other members so forgive me if I ask again. My questions are as follows:

1) What is the average pay for a beginning trucker (annual salary)?
2) What is the best way to get into it? Is it best to go to a training school that you pay for or sign on to a company like Prime or one of the others that offers training and a job? I live relatively close to NETTTS but I would have to pay out of pocket.
3) Do you get paid for training with a company like Prime or England?
4) Do you get to take the truck home? If so do you pay for fuel to get there? How does this work? I don't think I live nearby any of the large trucking companies and would likely have to drive into NJ, NY, PA or CT...which would take a while to get to.
5) It doesn't seem that you get to go home very often.....how does this work?
6) Any general advice?

Sorry for all the questions...but I find it is best to ask the experts than to find out the hard way. Thanks in advance.

 

thanks for your replies.....i will look into whether or not the state will assist me with the cdl...and if so i will look into NETTTS. Thaks again.

 

I just checked and there is a WIA program that I think will cover the cost of CDL training...now I just need to wade through the red tape that goes along with it......hope I don't need to sign over my soul. But assuming my layoff is not temporary and the state doesn't run out of money in the unemployment account (which is actually a possibility according to media) then I will be getting a paycheck and have the time to actually do it. I guess then the only issue will be getting a job with absolutely no experience.

 

do you think there will be a boom in work or the opposite?...I am personally still waiting for the big crash myself. How does this industry look right now?....I know it is difficult to gauge as other industries that are generally booming are hurting bad now so everything is relative...but there is little work out there in other fields....I see quite a few jobs posted for the trucking industry. Again I know nothing about it so they could all suck but at least there is something being posted. Is it even worth looking into? Any thoughts??