Yet more questions

Hey everyone I am in my second week of cdl school. A couple of questions we had a guy from star and werner come so far and neither is hiring otr werner has a freeze for otr until march.
I am looking forward to Roehl that comes next week as they look like a company that would be worth putting an application in. Trans am does otr but all there trucks are automatics and I am worried about my first year experience being with that instead of a manual should I be? Also do you know of a company that runs to alaska or just west in general?
in case it helps my hiring area is IL side of st. louis
I am curious about your costs on the road.
I am really looking forward to the 20 some hours a day spent alone and wonder if after being with a trainer I can expect it to really be that much?
Also can you fill out a prehire application online because most ask for a cdl license and school would it be better to call and talk with the recruiter and do it that way to avoid confusion?
Thanks for viewing and your time.