Making some plans....need some advice

Hello everybody, long time stalker/first time poster on the TTR threads here.

A bit about my situation. I am 50 and can retire from my job of 29 yrs. Back when i was just out of HS i started driving for a local produce company in a Mack COE 5 speed and sometimes a Ford 9000 with the good ole 300 Cummins pulling a reefer to every KFC, Pizza Hut and mom & pop grocery store within 200 miles. Did that for a couple of years and then ran a bit OTR for a company hauling mail routes in the Midwest. Never was in what i would call a "good truck" and not for sure they even hit the "decent" level. Having this experience, i quickly learned how to maneuver and back in tight spots. I realize that was so long ago, the experience doesnt qualify nor do i even feel the need to put it on an application.

Fast forward to today and there is not much to tie me down. I do own a home, or the bank does with me. Daughter is on the threshold of going to dental school and the boy is a junior in HS. When i retire, i will draw a decent pension. I will also receive a payout of my surviving spouse benefits since im divorced. That should amount to $20K plus. Decent means i can keep the bills paid and maybe hit the drive thru @ Mickey D's now and then but not much. As with everyone these days, if i can transition into a job with insurance, life would be much better. I dont have to make ALL the money in the world, just some of it would be nice.

Having read almost all the Schneider threads, and several others on TTR, it is quite obvious that most (NOT ALL) are pretty happy with this company. Is there a place that fits everyone? Some of the other company forums are nothing but gloom and doom, with death just around the corner. Not the kind of deal i want to be involved in.

So here is my very flexible plan that is subject to change. Attending a small community college about 30 miles away to get my CDL and any endorsements i can pick up. This will be funded out of my pocket, however Schneider apparently hires from this program and offers repayment. Next step would be orientation and then a company driver. I live an hour east of the Edwardsville OC and have no problem leaving a vehicle there to get home. I will also be keeping an open mind towards the IC Choice board. It seems that a lot of happy people live in that world. Yes I have read all the horror stories about leasing a truck, etc. It seems to me that all truck leases ARE NOT created equal. How long do you think would be a reasonable time to learn the trucking business & freight lanes? When that time comes, if it does, I will have lots of number crunching to do if financing a truck thru Schneider or go outside for one. It seems, tell me if im wrong that being in Southern Illinois (1 hour to STL, 1 hour to Evansville, In) would be a good spot?

Thinking further into the future (yes i am a plotter and planner), I live smack dab in the middle of what could become the next big oil boom here in Illinois. This great state finally got around to finalizing the fracking rules, just as the bottom fell out of oil. Oil companies have leased thousands upon thousands of acres in this area and have been waiting for these rules. I guess the right palms finally got greased enough for this to move forward, after waiting about 3 yrs. If you live here, you know exactly what i mean! If oil does recover, i could basically walk out my door and work if this turns into another area like ND or TX. With a CDL and a couple yrs experience that seems like a no brainer to me.

With all this said, i am ready for any comments, advice, questions, insults, offers to seek psychiatric treatment that you folks might give me! Keep in mind that none of this is set in stone, more like jello and i have thick skin......fire away!

 

As a company driver, im guessing time at home and you leave the truck at an OC? Would i be assigned the same truck or slip seat some of the time? Not really a problem, as i have an old beater truck to park and it really doesnt matter if somebody steals it. Might even be a blessing come to think of it. Are there any pickups close by that would put me at home for a few hours or a night if things work out? Same question as to the Choice board, what would be my expectations for DH miles to begin the week?

 

7 days on and 7 off....would that be a dedicated or intermodal route? Not sure what Schneider has or does in that regard but i remember back in my younger days doing deliveries was sometimes 20 stops or more in a day. Not sure i would want to or even could do that anymore.