Comments By Jason J.

Thanks you for the replies. As I talk to more and more recruiters and look into more companies the more excited I get and the less worried I get that I’m making a mistake. The fact that my pay is performance based for once is a huge check in the plus category for me. Haven’t found the one company that checks all the boxes to start with but I’ve come pretty close and since it’s my first, ultimately I’m just looking to get my feet wet and some solid experience. I plan on cashing out a wee bit of my 401k to supplement any loss of income and shed a few bills. So far I’m leaning towards TMC, Maverick, and Prime (in that order). I really think flatbed is gonna be my wheelhouse until my body starts to disagree. Also a lot of the energy industry out here is all flatbed/drop deck so if and when I’m ready for more home time a local outfit or even o/o is a little more feasible. TMC is percentage based so I’m a little leery of that (but looove the company trucks), and if I go Prime I feel like I’ll be sucked into the lease op side of things but, I do like the fact they have different divisions so I can get a little more well rounded resume.

I’ve been a civil servant for the Department of Defense for the last 12 years and been around aircraft in one way shape or form since I left for the Navy when I was 20. (22 years). Now I’ve been dead ended in my current pay series for a couple years and I’m just burnt out. My wife and I are separating and my kids are from a previous marriage and live 6 hours away with their mother so I’m no stranger to long drives and actually look forward to road trips to see them. I would easily say I’m an introvert and the nomadic trucking lifestyle doesn’t seem like too far a stretch for me at all. I’ve been around the world in the Navy and lived in Japan while I was in. Seeing more of the states is a big draw for me and my favorite video game I still play is American Truck Simulator with a full sim rig Eaton shifter and all lol. I’ve been pouring over any info I can get my hands on and am 99% sure OTR is the next phase of my life but would like to hear more opinions. Is moving on from a $55k rock steady gravy job for a life on the road totally asinine? I feel like I’m the only one who really knows that answer but 🤷‍♂️.

Second part of this post is about newbie companies. I’ve talked to a few headhunters and was leaning towards Prime until I spoke to Maverick today and they want to get me in the flatbed glass division. At this point I think flatbed is where I’d like to head overall with my career but until I’m licensed and grinding out the experience I know that’s subject to change. Are there any standout companies for the total new guy that I might be missing. I’ve talked CRST, Prime, and Maverick. I’m located in Oklahoma City.

P.S. Great site and thank you everyone I’m so glad I came across all this new info.