Tanker or Flatbed?

I'm about three weeks into my CDL training program at a local community college, seen a few recruiters come by, been thinking about what I want to do after I get that license. Lemme say a couple of things here:

* I don't mind not getting hometime. I don't have a family here and don't have any real ties making me get back into town, so I'd be willing to move to pretty much wherever and spend my time on the road.
* I don't mind a bit of physical activity. I like to lift weights twice a week, and I could stand to lose a few calories on the road. (If there would be one reason I'd like to have hometime, it'd be so I could keep up a gym membership.)
* I can stand a bit of bad conditions. I've put up with some stuff in the past while living poor and trying to pay some old debts off, so I can stand being put somewhere hot or cold and dealing with it.
* I don't think I want to go owner operator. It seems like a lot of hassle to deal with upkeep and taxes and all of that yourself in exchange for not that much cash. I'd like to drive company at least for a few years before I convince myself otherwise.
* Most of all - two years from now, I want to get a job that pays $60K. Most of the places I'm looking at that will take me out of school will pay first year after training in the range of $40K, depending on how many miles I get, so I'm not complaining about that. What I want is experience that I'll be able to turn into a better salary a couple years down the road. This of course assumes that I'm not such a ####-up that I don't deserve a better job on down the line. >.>

So thinking about all of that, I'd been thinking about going tanker. From what I hear, it's a tougher vehicle to drive, though it sounds like I wouldn't have to touch the freight as much. It gets hot down there in the oil fields, but it would be worth it for the money and the experience with a harder drive, and it sounds like a couple of the big companies have openings for newbie tanker drivers to get me started. Looking at job postings down in Texas and Louisiana, it looks like there are a handful of companies offering $55K-$60K to guys with two years' tanker experience.

I had a recruiter come in the other day, though, for a company that just drives flatbed, and the teachers there actually spoke highly of the company when the recruiter was gone. This company pays above average for first-year (though it sounds like you don't get as many miles), and they also get you home once a week, so I'd be getting a bit of a workout tying down tarps and then be able to get back in town to go to the gym now and then. What I'm wondering is if I can hit the same larger salaries after a couple years on the road. Our teacher has told various stories about different drivers, like a guy he knows who makes a lot of money running steel on flatbed back and forth regionally, but it also sounds like a lot of those guys go O/O and hustle up local gigs.

Anyone out there with experience to one or the other that might have a suggestion, or maybe companies they could recommend to a newb in those areas?

 

I've seen a couple of ads from Nabors. Seeing what they pay was part of what got me thinking about tanker. It sounded like they're only looking for two years experience drivers, but yeah, I'd been planning on giving them a call anyway. I'm just now getting all of my basic tests finished up, so I should have a little more time after school to start calling people instead of spending all evening studying. Fracking sounds a little crazy, though - I don't know if I'm ready for that one quite yet. Thanks for the hello~