I've been in this industry for 30 years now. I started as a dock worker loading trucks after school and on weekends. I've spent some time on the road. But the bulk of my time has been behind a desk brokering freight.
I've seen this industry change in many ways. Some good things and some bad things. We used to make a lot of money back in the day. Now... we eek out a living working more hours for less than we ever have. Everything costs more... yet profit margins have never been so narrow. More demands are put on drivers, dispatch & support staff than ever before. Appointments, just in time, fines for missing appointments etc. It's sad the way things are headed. Almost everything you buy from any store has spent a part of it's life on a truck. Yet we're probably the most under appreciated industry out there. Unless things change... (I believe) this industry is headed for a bad place.
My advice to you would be to research carriers / brokers close to your home and choose a few with integrity and a solid foundation and try to sell yourself to them (if you've been in the business for a while this shouldn't be all that difficult for you).
Newscasts say that we're coming out of the recession / economic downturn... I believe that there will be more blood shed to come (read: it could get worse before it gets better). If you're looking for a company that you can call home for a few years to come... you're going to want to be at one that is built on a very solid foundation as only the strong and well planned for the future will survive.
... just my two pennies.
Good luck to you...
