Is this a good deal?

There is a huge red flag on that 2nd option, IMHO. A company should pay a fair wage, without trying to hide anything or play a shell game. And a company who pays peanuts and tries to make you feel better about it by paying a few more peanuts for " meals and incidentals". Well, they aren't doing g you any favors. Unless you are really against a wall hard financially, and need to get moving now, I'd keep looking. Even in your situation, there are better options out there.

 

there's smoot brothers in brigham, olsen bros. in tremonton. both flatbed and have you home for 34 every week. kingston farms is reefer. don't kow anything about twamcor but they are north of ogden.

there's also local companies. spring time. construction is hiring for dump trucks. local work, home every night.

you've got staker parsons all over the state. main office is north salt lake. they bought out reynolds when the recession hit.
kilgore asphalt. they bought out harper.
acme construction in west jordan. i worked there 7 yyears before the recession.
innovative consctruction also in west jordan. and jones
hugoe in bountiful, mccune in magna. there's a gravel pit north of stakers gravel pit that also has dump trucks. on beck street in north salt lake. can't think of the name right off hand. but they have a sign on the hillside. you can't miss it as your driving down the freeway.
wwclyde, ames, heritage.

just to name a few.

 

there's options, that don't require refresher, OR use that illegal thing called dac.

when i came back out OTR. everyone wanted a refresher course, cept for swift. and i never stopped driving. just went local. mom and pop, (or brother) companies don't refresh.