I've been reading about the trucking industry (especially on this forum) for some time, and I've narrowed my decision down to two choices. I'm leaning towards Millis.
My situation is, I've been doing seasonal work for several years now (most recently as a bus driver), and my "home" has been wherever I worked next. Although my current CDL class B is in Utah, I plan to transfer it to wherever I go next, which is going to be very near a Millis training facility. In terms of geography, I think Georgia would be pretty interesting, as well as Wisconsin. I don't have much interest in living out of Ohio, and I'm not sure about Texas. I talked to a recruiter on the phone, and she mentioned the Georgia classes fill up the quickest, so I need to start making some decisions very soon if I want to go there.
My query is this: which areas have the most affordable rentable housing? When I move to one of these locations, I prefer to not pay much more than around $400/month for a room/studio/apartment, since I plan on doing OTR, and won't be spending much time there anyway. I don't own much, so small works.
Also since I already have a CDL B, I've taken the general, airbrakes, and passenger tests. I'd prefer not to have to retake a written test if I don't have to, and I think most of the four states where Millis training is done don't require you to take all the written tests over again to transfer a CDL? To get my class A permit at this point, I only need to take a couple more written tests, that is if I were to stay in Utah, which I really don't.
One more thing is this...I have no wife, no kids, nothing to hold me down in one place, which is perfect for doing OTR, right? Well, since I plan on moving to one of these four states (leaning towards Georgia or Wisconsin), how do I get an apartment with no established job, so I can establish residency, so I can get a permit in that state, so I can attend a school? Tricky, no? All this seasonal work has had employer provided housing, so it was never an issue. I have some friends in the Chicago area, but I don't want to set up there, since IL is a state that makes you retake all tests again, which I find downright silly and costly.
I currently live and work in a ski town in Utah, and the season ends April 13th, which also renders me homeless a day or two after, so it's time to commit to a decision (since I really don't want to do seasonal work anymore).
I appreciate any input anyone has.
Where I Lay My Head Is Home
Discussion in 'Millis' started by Nighthawwk, Mar 25, 2014.
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Go to a state with no income tax. I would consider Texas, no state income tax and when your tired of your first driving job plenty of oilfield work.
AdamSolo_Seat Thanks this. -
Texas is the place to be. Stay away from the big cities and oil field towns and rent should be very reasonable with no state income tax as an added bonus.
Chinatown Thanks this. -
$400 a month for a studio apartment? You'll be in low housing areas in any city in the South. Why are you leaning towards Millis?
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Texas is where I wanna be but (someone correct me if I am wrong), while they do not have state income tax, they have to get their money from somewhere. One of those places is automobile registration & drivers licence fees. I cant remember what the cost was for a CDL, but to register you car there is huge fees. And I cant remember which but you cant get you CDL until you register your car.. or vise versa. Either way, its like 10% of the cars value to get it registered. So if you have a $20,000 car, its going to cost like $2000 to get licence plates etc (compared to $40.00 in La where I live right next door to TX).
So, where you may not have state income tax, they're gonna get ya one way or another. Again, I love Texas, & I wanna move there someday, but you gotta do your home work on that.
As well someone else says housing is reasonable in TX... I have to respectfully disagree. In my opinion, housing is a little on the high side. -
In the Wisconsin area I've noticed some cheaper places in rural areas, which are inexpensive, and not ghetto, as far as I can tell from the internet. Are you suggesting that in the south at that cost it would be a bad neighborhood? I did grow up on the southwest side of Chicago, I'm familiar with the element, but I don't want to live in that situation again.Chinatown Thanks this. -
Rethink Ohio. Cincinnati and Columbus is huge for trucks picking up and delivering. Always going by the house in Cincinnati
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Yes, a state with no personal income taxes in my opinion; that's one reason I moved to Nevada.
Texas is good. Check the Redfin website for rentals; that's the site I used to find my Nevada home.
Maybe call a terminal manager and ask where some good places are to live. Looks like several small towns around Burleson, TX not far from that Millis terminal.Last edited: Mar 25, 2014
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Tennessee does not have state income tax. Chattanooga is a great town with lots of activities. It is about an hour away from Cartersville and right on I-75. I start in the June class and according to the recruiter will be able to drive the truck home for home time. You should be able to find something in that price range. Check out Chattanooga Craigslist for some samples of housing options. Let me know if your in the June class I think may be filling/filled up.
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Hahahaha I live right outside Chattanooga. I am not allowed to dive my truck home...Chattanooga has a gang war going on and traffic sucks a big one there. I think the recruiter is 0-2.
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