Tractor Trailer drivers make lots of money - just dont expect to have much of a life... ususally 24hrs on the road is typical or senority routes will keep you away from home, but hey... you might spend less that way!
Go ahead and get the Class A with all the endorsements while you are obtaining your license. This way you can drive anything and will not have to go back to obtain anything later. Get your haz-mat as well as most carriers will require this. As for the money an over the road driver will make more than a school bus driver. Here locally the bus drivers earn a minimum 70.00 per day or 14.00 per hour if it exceeds the 70.00 and are eligible for unemployment in the summer. Over the road drivers earn between 700-900 per week on average but you are gone for weeks and it entails way more than 40 hours per week. So if you were to break it down by the hour school bus drivers make more but in the big $$ amount at the end of the week the truck driver will make more even though they have worked 70 hours for their check. Get some driving experience and wait for the economy to pick up again and you can find a local position driving where you are home everyday and earning a good living. There are many local jobs driving making 700-1100 per week getting paid by the hour.
Duh! School bus driving for the most part is not a full time position in most school districts. The drivers are stay at home moms and old semi-retired pharts like me.
I do it because they couldn't find enough drivers in my area to work for so little money. And I certainly don't need the money or I would be doing something else.
You might want to look at driving truck if you expect to support yourself or a family.
Tractor Trailer makes more money hands down but in order to make that kind of money you have to be gone quite a lot talking 2-3 weeks at a time.
School bus driving wont make you rich but the insurance is usually great since it is state but all the idiots you are trying to avoid out there on the road are now sitting behind you in a younger form.