Lanes on I-90/I-80 in Northeastern OH?

Hello everyone. I just graduated from driving school and have been reading posts on this forum for several months now (ever since I started thinking about trucking). I've had my own business for 15 years, but with the economy tanking, it's been hard to make ends meet. My wife makes pretty good money, but with 4 kids, it's hard to do on only one income. So, I thought I'd get my CDL (everyone keeps saying how valuable that is). The biggest draw back, for me, on driving a truck for a living was the time away from my family (as I'm sure is the case for most truckers). But, I started doing some research and thought I'd at least have some options with companies like Roehl, who offered home time plus. Well, now that I've finished school, got my CDL and am looking for a job -- those options don't seem to be available anymore. I talked to Roehl and they said they're not offereing hometime plus options at this time due to low freight. All they've got is OTR. I've been talking with Crete and FFE about a job. I'm just trying to see if there are any companies out there who may have travel lanes where I'd be able to stop at home once in a while between runs. I live in Wakeman, OH directly on I-90 and I-80 in northern Ohio (between Cleveland and Toledo). Does anyone know of any companies hiring recent graduates who may have routes on these lanes that would get me home a little more often than a day or two every 10-14 days? My school mentioned H.O. Wolding (as they travel these lanes constantly), but they're not hiring (at least not in my area).

I also tried to find something local (accepting the fact that the money would be substantially less), but couldn't find anything. I just need to make a steady income with some benefits -- not expecting to get rich!

Any suggestions?

Also, if I suck it up and get some experience, is it realistic to expect to find something that'll get me home more often?

Thanks, everyone. I really enjoy reading everyone's posts. Be safe!

 

Thanks. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and accept the fact that I'll never be home and pray that the economy gets better someday.

 

I had previously looked into Millis but found out, as you said, I needed 1 year of experience. So, I'll just get my time in and hopefully have some local/regional opportunities at that time. Thanks again.