Hello from SE MI.

I'll start out by telling you a little about myself.
I am 49 years old and I hired in at an Auto co. just after my eighteenth birthday. I worked there for one yr. and then took a military leave of absence for three yrs. I returned from my leave and was laid off the same day. The layoff lasted eight yrs. During the lay off I drove a truck hauling cars for about one yr. and decided it was time to stay at home for a while, to get to know my 4 yr. old daughter and to get reacquainted with my better half. I then went to work in a small machine shop where I stayed for the better part of seven yrs. I got called back to the Auto co. in 1990, and stayed there until May of 08 at which time I decided to retire and look for something else to do. I was fortunate enough to get hired on with a Class one Railroad and became a Freight Train Conductor, up until a month ago at which time I was furloughed due to the lack of freight.
So I thought I would look back into Trucking since that is the only other job I've had. The thing that surprises me the most is that pay for drivers seems to have gone down hill since the mid eighty's. Anyways to make a long story short, I have a brother in law that has been an owner operator for the better part of 35 yrs. and I have been looking for a way to get back into trucking without hiring on with a mega carrier. I did go back through a trucking school after foolishly letting my CDL expire.
So here I sit contemplating my next move. I look forward to reading all the info I can here on the board and who knows maybe I will learn enough in order to make an informed decision.
Wildbill123