"Home Daily directly out of school? Is this realistic?

Marry your girl, finish the welding school, get your welding certs get a job locally as a welder, forget driving a truck.

Be smart, more people need things welded than they do hauled. Welding does not expose you to the dangers every day that will kill you, you want to have kids grow up with you around.

AND you can weld on trucks if you want to be involved with them.

 

Major market means medium and large cities. Detroit is a major and so is Ann Arbor and so is Grand Rapids - those are separate markets.

 

As a side note, not to confuse the issue. With food, meat, seafood.. a Market is not a roadside farmers market. It's a complex of buildings that trade in the product you are picking up from or delivering to. Some Markets are not as safe as others. Southside Chicago would be one that's pretty up there in the threat level. (Including rats this big....)

 

Here in the northeast its pretty easy to get a local job. I suggest food service. You'll have a schedule and you have to unload the trailer with a 2 wheeler and pallet jack but it pays very well. 75k your 1st yr isn't unheard of.

With your girl pregnant I wouldn't settle for anything but home daily and food service is a sure foot in the door.

 

If you have any near you, I would recommend an LTL company.

I believe ABF has their own truck driving school they will put you through and they are a union job.

There also are other LTL companies that will help you get your CDL if you work on the dock for a while. Food Service will do that sometimes also.

It's my opinion but I think LTL companies are probably the better of the trucking companies to work for in general.

If I were you such a young man starting out I would look into going back to school and doing something that you can really make an outstanding living like being an electrician or plumber or even a welder can make really good money.

It really just depends what it is that you like to do. But bear in mind that if for some reason you ever are medically disqualified or you lose your license for some reason you have to have a different career.

Trucking doesn't really prepare you for anything except for Trucking and when it's over it's over.

 

if a local job that is home everyday might burn you out everyday and all you wanted to do is sleep then would defeat the purpose of being home everyday (to see your family). just be sure to understand the gig before doing it. good luck

 

I got a job driving for a local grain elevator straight out of school. It only paid $14 per hour but it was a pretty easy way to get the experience needed for something better.

 

Those are both good careers IMO So is Electrician I have family and friends in the Trades. Working local doing Food stuff is always available for a reason.Most part wears your back out limiting what your capable of doing in later years. I’ve seen a lot of it. Including myself starting at an early age.A few make good $$ 70k or more. So I hear , but they are the exception. Even if that’s true they earn every Pennie.I see all lines of skilled workers living as good as most Truckdrivers. On the other hand there’s always a Job somewhere Driving and that’s worth something. Ive always Drove a Truck except for a couple yrs. It’s always been there for me. But it would be nice at my age to be in charge of a crew and earn a living based on what I know. Instead of my labor. Trucking isn’t hard manual labor usually but it is Grueling at times. Either way Good Luck And Be Proud of Yourself for being a Responsible Father. It’s the most rewarding thing in life I’ve ever done The time is about to start passing by real fast. Enjoy it

 

believe it or not back injuries are not that common. Its mostly shoulders and knees. Don't try and be a hero and you'll last a long time. Lots of guys in their 40s and 50s where I worked. I'd say 45 was the avg age. I did a run with a 61 year old a few times and he ran just as hard as the guys in their 20s