Returning to the road

After many years out of the trucking industry, I'm looking to return to it. I spent about 5 years as a mobile home mover in the Phoenix area. You learn all about "being big" in that job. I pulled trailers of all sizes, up to 16' x 80'. Then I spent a couple years OTR doing the reefer gig. I've driven in all of the 48 states except in the extreme NE (north of NY).

I'm wondering if there are any companies that take previous experience into consideration. It's been 15 years since I've been in a truck, but I know for fact that after a day or two back on the road I could outdrive most of the trainers out there. After living day and night in a truck for any significant time, it's something you never forget.

I don't mind long haul. In fact I prefer it to short runs where you spend most of your time waiting in line to load/unload. With long runs you get to actually sleep once in a while. Coast to coast would be great. I'd love to get home (Minnesota) weekly, but I realize that might not be possible. All drop and hook, of course, would be the best. I really hate the grocery store warehouse scene. I also realize that is hard to avoid as a new driver for any company. I think tanker would suit me well, as I spent time in a bulk milk truck in my early twenty's and am not intimidated by the the weight moving around in the tank. But I would take most anything except hauling raw meat. I did that before out of Hormel in Austin, MN, and spent way too much time looking for washout locations. I also have no experience with flatbeds, so that's probably not a good option for me, either.

I might be able to swing coming in with my own truck and being an o/o. Don't know for sure yet if I'll be able to swing that or not. But it seems that might make a difference.

From reading posts in this forum, it seems all trucking companies suck! I'm looking for one that doesn't, if it exists. I'm willing to do whatever I have to to get back into driving. But I REALLY don't want to have to spend 6 weeks (or even 6 hours) co-driving with a "trainer" who doesn't necessarily have any more experience than me and is just doing it for his extra five cents a mile, or whatever. I cannot sleep when someone else is driving/talking on the CB/listening to the radio/etc, so co-driving is really not an option for more than a couple days.

I gave up trucking 15 years ago to be home with my family. But now my kids are all grown and on their own. My wife would enjoy riding with me occasionally and seeing the country. If anyone knows a good way to get back behind the wheel with the least BS possible, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.