Another "Which company for a new driver" question.

Hey guys, I know this isn't the first time this question has been asked. I have read a few forums and articles regarding this, and have heard pros and cons for multiple companies for student drivers, but I would prefer to hear it first hand, and I would like to see some feedback based on my own personal situation.

I'm 26, I have a dog, and I'm currently unemployed and living in the loft at my parents' house.


I'm currently enrolled with Southwest Truck Driver Training here in Las Vegas Nevada. The tuition was paid 100% by a grant company.
I have nothing on my driving record, the only thing I have on my criminal background is obstructing an officer 4.5 years ago.

I have traveled and lived a life on the road before. I really enjoyed it. I also drove straight 2 axel box trucks interstate for a moving company. I know it's not the same as a semi but I think the general experience will be the same, but more long-term. I really enjoyed driving interstate professionally. The only thing I didn't like about it was the company didn't exactly adhere to the DOT regulations, and I ended up being forced to drive over 20 hours straight multiple times. That was pretty much the only thing that I didn't like, after 14 hours it became a grueling experience. But seeing the country was great, even though the pay was terrible. ($80/day when I was out).

The last 7 years has been crazy for me, I've moved around a lot, and as a result, I don't really own much that I can't take with me, and the things I can't take I can easily sell or give away. I don't really care about it.


So, in summary, I have done the OTR driving thing a little bit, I liked it. I have no need or desire to stay or ever return to any place in particular, other than maybe Christmas with my parents. I also have no family depending on me or bills that need to be paid.

Which company should I go with? Home time doesn't matter to me, pet policy is a MUST. I would prefer a company that is going to be relatively low-stress to work for. I know first years have a bit of limitations on what companies they can work for, and I know first year pay is much less than what experienced drivers make. Money is nice, I would like to have lots of it, but don't really need much. The general experience is more important to me than pay.
I would prefer long hauls, and solo driving unless I can find a good partner somewhere.
Down time doesn't bother me a whole lot. It would just give me an opportunity to relax and play some games on my laptop.


My plans for the future are basically to purchase some cheap land somewhere out in the desert where I can park my camper trailer which is currently in storage. I would like to eventually own a few chunks of land here and there across the country, build a cheap garage and park a cheap RV/camper in each place. I pretty much have no idea what exactly will happen in the future, if I'll have a wife somewhere down the line or not, so I'm just trying to have a variable plan that works in any situation. Land is generally cheap to buy and maintain. Since it's so cheap to buy, I should be able to just lay down the cash and not have any mortgage payments. My only bills should be yearly property taxes. If I end up starting a family I can pull a mobile home onto any one of the properties, or sell them, or keep them for as vacation/investment properties and start a typical suburban life.

I think this plan also works well with the trucking lifestyle because I will have several places where I can layover and spend my home time.


So anyhow, which company/companies do you guys think might be a good match for me?