Couple of questions about starting out..

No need to apologize for a well thought out post Frank. England likes to push their lease plan onto every new driver. the joke about England is E.very N.ew D.river L.eaves A.fter N.ienty D.ays. You need to find out when the first dui is gonna fall off your mvr. It will be easier to get a job with only one dui. I know from experience.
Realise this too...most companes that bring on trainees is because they can get you to work for cheap. I'm not trying to discourage you just enlighten you.
Put an application on some of the headhunter sites and see who bites. Class A cdl drivers was a good one. You can do one app and have it go to a bunch of companies.
Be a bit leary of companies that offer the training to get your cdl. They are gonna make you sign a contract to stay with them for x number of months/years to pay it back. I understand that you want to do right by your family, most of us are trying to do the same thing, believe me when I say that. Get as much info you can on any company before you sign on with them, and try to find the one that fits your needs best. We cant make the decision for you only help you with as much advice as we can give as long as you are willing to listen with an open mind and research for yourself.

Good luck man, you seem like you have the right attitude.

 

No problem man, I had to change my career in mid stride. My wife has some health issues that we are still trying to get worked out after over 4 years. I went into driving because she used to, her dad did it for 30 + years, and I have had many family members and friends over the years drive for a living. I worked on loading docks, and warehousing for years till I got hurt in 2002 and spent about 6 months relearning how to walk properly without a cane or help and could lift things and function again.
I'm glad your wife has a good job that will help alot. Starting out in trucking is hard for sure, but it is doable as long as you dont have stars in your eyes or let yourself get deluded by the bs the companies will push on you.
You can make a good living, not as good as it once was , but still a good living.
If you dont want to go OTR maybe look into waste managment or another trash outfit. Believe it or not those guys make bank. My uncle and cousin have driven roll off trucks for them for years and they do pretty well. Just a suggestion.
Once you have enough post pm me if you want to talk without the open forum. I will always try to help or find someone who can. the mods are a great source of info too.
You can learn alot on this site from alot of people.

 

You're more than welcome i'm off the boards till tomorrow later on man