In Springfield, MO. Need advice...

I believe it was a guaranteed $800 or so a week during training. I may be wrong, but some weeks I did end up making more than my trainer due to sitting. Once you get CDL and actually hired on .38 comes into play.
I did not buy or lease, and nobody ever pressured me into it.
For me personally I ran reefer, mostly to run all 48, but choice is yours only. They run flatbed all 48, but I was never really interested in chaining and tarping in the rain. Tankers run mostly NE with a lot of deadhead miles in between loads for washouts etc.

 

Wil-Trans/Jim Palmer treat vets very well. Check em out. I can give you the contact info for a good recruiter, very receptive, if you like.

 

Lol. Right on lol

 

Jim Palmer Trucking runs 48 states.
Wil-Trans runs eastern half of USA.
Trailiner Corp. does west coast turns and is in Springfield & has their own cdl school.
If you go with Prime, go with the tanker division.

 

Tanker experience can lead to some high paying jobs. Trimac Transportation drivers with 24 mos experience can make over $100K running coast to coast.
If you can attend a private or community college cdl school, there's many more options such as Girton Propane Service or maybe Trimac. They both hire new cdl grads. Also Old Dominion Freight Lines hires new grads for line haul which is a premium job.
Prime also offers flatbed training.

 

If you like hard work, Prime also does flatbed.