Just got out of oil field.....

I would go to the A to B for now. Why not try. Just be careful and do not feel stupid, if you have a question, ask it.

 

I drive for a local company now. They are more into logistics and warehousing than transportation. They kind of do trucking as a side thing, though they are growing fast in that area. Company is Saddle Creek Logistics. They are out of Lakeland FL, but growing around the US pretty fast now. Day cab, all trucks are natural gas, but home every day.

 

OTR is different. Make sure you are comfortable with maps/ E-logs/ QUALCOMM etc.... So you don't have any distractions on the road

 

You will be fine. You already know how to shift and drive. Granted trailer maybe longer. But there are no cattle guards. No wet sticky mud encasing the tire which causes your truck not to turn unless you lucky enough to have a low-low gear.

OTR isn't that hard, except for the boredom. Unless hitting docks in the north east. No one to talk to for days on end. Granted its a truck and its a deadly weapon one mistake and your life or someone elses is over.

 

TMC drivers take home $1,250 a week.

 

They stand at "parade rest" while fueling.

 

Change that to SOME. Not most or all.
Most of the ones that are taking home that kind of money are on the percentage program, which is like 25%. Not bad if the rates are good in that area, like the northeast. But in most of the country the rates that they will post will not be that high.
Whenever you are talking about a trucking company that pays percentage, remember that most have a separate brokerage or logistics company.
This way all freight comes into the company via the separate company, then they broker that freight to the trucking company at a lower rate. This way what you are getting a percentage of is the brokered rate, not the rate being paid by the shipper.

I have seen this first had with Prime Logistics flatbed rates.
I delivered a load of shingles to a lumber yard and there was a Prime flatbed driver delivering at the same time, same product, from the same shipper.
He started complaining about me hauling that freight, and that prime should not have brokered out that load, since they were short on freight, and it paid well.
I asked him what the rate was. He said prime was getting 1.50 per mile on that load. I laughed, since we hauled it for 2.15 per mile. Straight from the prime brokerage.
And I know that TMC most likely does the same thing.

But anyway. Back to the topic.
Out west the rates are not as high as east coast, especially east coast short haul. So most TMC drivers out west are most likely on CPM, since it is the better option, and most are not taking home 1200 a week very often.