Looking for advice / gut check

Greetings!

Schneider veteran here.

Now I do hazmat tanker duty--hauling fuel (but not with Schneider).

It appears you could be in luck.

As you've suggested--TMC now has their own in-house CDL school.

You would likely pick the De Moines, Iowa location.

Lodging while in school there is also covered.

Check with a recruiter, for details.

Paid CDL Training | TMC Trucking Company Offers Class-A CDL Certification

Suggestion: do 2 years flatbed with them (or similar)--then go big with heavy haul/multi-axle/stepdeck.

Other very good starter flatbed alternatives: Melton Truck Lines, & Maverick Transportation.

All of course are vet friendly.

Semper Fi!!!

--Lual

 

Probably be best to check into training at what ya mentioned with tmc. You're gonna have to get your foot in the door an get some experience. Probably at least a year of running flat an working up to oversize. Maybe two years of total experience an then be able to seek out you're special niche. Once you've got your experience an if you're feeling froggy at that point then trying to own your own an pulling oversize for someone like landstar would be right up your alley as far as the flexibility you're looking for. Once on with them, you book your own loads off of their system. And you're only required to run x amount of loads per set time period or something to that effect. So ya have some freedom as to when ya choose to run an when to be home. Company gigs with the flexibility you seek are harder to come by. So to start just go searching an see where best suits you to get your foot in the door.

 

Just FYI to the original poster....TMC also has a health questionnaire in their application. I don't see how they get away with having it, but it is there.

 

There is, of course, a problem.

If you go OTR pulling OSOW, it will be mucho difficult to get back every other week. Now, there are crane places, heavy equipment rentals, and local construction outfits that you can run local and be home every day, BUT they’re not going to do the whole week off thing.

So, the only one that I can think of would be one of those regional road construction gigs. Some of them travel, and they get their drivers home every other week.

 

First and foremost - Thank you for your service. Now - you have a plan, implement it!

 

Plan "B": If you check out TMC, & decide you just don't get good vibes there...here's a smaller, alternative carrier that also will train you for a CDL--& they do heavy-haul work:

No Experience? No problem! — R. E. West Transportation

--Lual

 

I agree with @TripleSix in that you'll probably have better luck finding a local company to go to. Many equipment companies, Equipment Depot, United Rentals, Sunbelt Rentals, Ahern Rentals all have equipment and trucks and all need drivers for those trucks. May even be able to find a local heavy haul company where you live. I once worked for a heavy haul company when I lived in Houston Texas, spent maybe 5 days a year away from home for one night, off every weekend and rarely worked more than 50 hours a week and grossed 85,000.00. Year I left and moved to where I live now I probably would have earned 100k. It's the experience that you will struggle with more than anything, though. Will be tough but like @Allow Me. says, not impossible.