Introduction from south Georgia

Hello,
Great forum. A lot of information. I am 29 y.o. single male with no children and a former L.E. officer and sales representative. I am pursuing a career in the transportation industry as I have driven a strait truck (class B) for the past two years as a route salesman. I currently have a class B cdl, TWIC card, US passport, HAZMAT, tanker, and doubles/triples certification which I have obtained on my own prior to my CDL school which starts early next month. I have a perfect MVR, no criminal history and a bachelors degree in Business Finance.
I will attend CDL school in Georgia and wind up my training in early June at which point I would like to have some solid options on the table as far as potential employers. I am very interested in getting on with a tanker division as I have the certs. already it seems like a good challenge.
I am relatively new to this industry and understand recruiters can bend the truth about pay/opportunities/home-time. I am looking for some feedback on the following questions.
. I live in a rural area. The closest large city is Tallahassee, FL / Valdosta, GA / Bainbridge,GA. Macon, GA is 2 hours north. Do most companies require you to reside within a certain distance from the terminal?
. I was advised by the staff at the driving school I will be attending with my endorsements and background I could be in the income range of 60k/year initially. Is this feasible? My goal is to within a couple of years to be making around 65+.
. In your opinion, how do OTR tanker drivers compare to regional tanker routes?

I am searching this forum for potential companies to apply/ pre-hire with. So far I have learned that Schneider has a great entry level tanker program. Florida Rock & Tank & CTL Transportation both feature jobs with no direct tractor trailer experience.

Thanks for your time.