Jack cooper info out of the Buffalo terminal.

Yes that terminal hauls units from a railhead to dealers in those states. Some deliveries you may be home at the end of the day and other times you will probably be out one night at a time. If you are looking for a change and a challenge give it a try. Just know that you may not like it at first, but if you can stick with it 6 months you probably won’t want to do any other form of trucking.

 

There's really only 2 drawbacks to a union job like Cooper.

You're most likely going to be driving older equipment, and until you get some seniority, you'll get the runs nobody else wants.

And the politics of a union shop is a deal breaker for some.

 

Cooper generally has good hotels and your co-workers will help you find the best hotels to stay in. Union dues are a couple hours pay a month and generally less than you will pay for insurance at most non union jobs. As happy as I am with my current company where I have been the last 7 years, I would have never left Jack Cooper if they had owner operators.

 

Carhaulers are a different beast than most other semis. Less leg and headroom than a condo. I am 6’3 and still fit fine. I don’t know if their new rigs are autos, but you likely won’t be in one and probably will have a manual. They generally ran 65-72 when I was there.

 

Ask anything you think of later. I thought about being a carhauler for 20 plus years before I actually did it. I hated it at first and then I learned to love it, now I am 11 years in. I very likely won’t do anything else to earn a living besides hauling cars. Those of us that love hauling cars like myself and @Hammer166 and a few others who routinely post on this forum are more than willing to help new folks interested in becoming a carhauler.

 

I worked out of that terminal when it was still Allied 22 years ago. You'll load right at the terminal since they lost the Fords at the rail yard to Virginia Transportation. They have a hard time finding drivers to work there and only have 15 or so active drivers. I know the guys that are left run a lot of New England and make 2k to 3k a week. They will run you empty to other terminals to keep you busy when the regular freight dries up and run used cars to fill gaps.
The best way to describe the equipment is it is well maintained junk. I believe they are manual transmission Volvos and Sterlings. You could do a lot worse for a first car hauling gig though.
Also, your starting at a bad time of year. Once your training is done the weather will make you want to quit. No other way to put it than it sucks!
From what I have heard, it's kind of a country club atmosphere there now with the new terminal manager. It's hard to get fired. Most of the drivers have been there a long time but they can't seem to keep new drivers for whatever reason. Once you learn the ropes there are several other good companies in the area to work with if JC isn't your cup of tea. I know one guy I talked to recently bragged about making 120k and weekends home. The money is there , it's not them bs ing you to get you there.
Go slow and realize everyone struggles when they are new. You'll still make more than most other jobs. Once you get the hang of it you can make as much as you want there.