To be sure, the standards and requirements for operating a B74 freighter versus a B74 pax ship are the same.
Just because boxes are carried instead of pax would not in itself qualify you into the right seat with "lower" flight time/experience.
In the USA, since World War II there has never been a real shortage of pilots, therefore airline training sponsership is practically unheard of.
For example, COMAIR (a small jet commuter airline), through its Comair Aviation Academy, features ab initio training. But YOU pay for the training!
In other words, there is no free lunch and no back door entry into flying a cargo jet as your primary trainer.
