New Driver… Any Advice!

I remember when I was in training, I was riding with a guy and the coolant light comes on.

He says "this is why I hate this truck, the coolant light always comes on and starters buzzing"

I'm thinking "has anyone ever checked the coolant level?"

Because everyone just jumps in a truck and goes. It was insane to me, especially because they get paid by the hour.

Complacency causes crashes or worse.

If your goal is ultimately to go local I'd suggest you get on with Swift, of the companies listed. With your location it's possible you'd be able to jump over to local/linehaul or whatever Swift calls it that would get you home daily. Normally we'd suggest going straight to LTL (Fed Ex, Old Dominion etc.) But with the state of the economy they're having a pretty rough time. One additional route that may be worth looking into is any grocery/retail store distribution centers in your area. I deliver to grocery stores in a roughly 300 miles radius of our DC and love it. Groceries are something people will always need so work stays consistent. We're in a slightly slower time of year right now after the holidays and superbowl and before summer grilling start up, as well as drivers taking vacation time. They've been asking for 5 to 10 drivers to take the day off the past few weeks due to the amount we have for when we're busy. Grocery store deliveries is one thing that's almost guaranteed job security regardless of the status of the economy. People will always need to eat.