Hello From A New Guy

Good Evening, all!

I have been lurking here for quite some time, and since I'm getting closer to actually making a career change, I decided to join up and say hello. Here's a bit of background about me, with the hope that some of the experienced folks here will give me any and all advice.

I will be 30 in August, and I have owned and operated businesses for the past ten years. I've owned my current business for six years, and I'm incredibly burned out. I'm in the process of selling the business, and in today's economy, I'll have a little money to live on for a while, but no great windfall, and therefore I'm going to have to go to work. I literally dread the thought of going to work for somebody else in my current industry, so I'm looking at all my options. I didn't go to college...couldn't afford to, so I went to work. I don't regret it at all, but it does limit my choices when it comes to getting a job. That is one reason that trucking appeals to me.

I'm single and have no children, and for the past six years I've lived a couple hundred miles from my family, so it won't be an issue for me being away from home for long stretches. I literally LOVE to drive. I average driving 30,000 miles a year, and while I realize that's nothing compared to what a professional will drive, it's a good bit of driving for somebody who doesn't do it for a living. I love the open road, and two years ago when I had a chance to take a month off and go anywhere I wanted on vacation, I drove coast to coast and back over three weeks. It was one of the best times of my life...driving completely alone and enjoying the open road.

I learned to fly several years ago, and I see a great deal of similarities between flying and driving a tractor-trailer. There are checklists and pre-flight/drive inspections. I figure if I can handle an airplane, I can handle a truck. Also, as a small business owner for the past ten years, I understand deadlines and the inner-workings of companies. I'm flexible, I work very well under pressure, and I pay attention to detail.

I went through all that lengthy description in order to ask the pros here whether or not I have the qualities necessary to be successful as a professional truck driver. I don't have a firm plan yet, but I'm considering applying with some of the larger companies (Swift, Prime, etc.) in order to get my license and a few years of experience under my belt. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.