Going Local Where? - Been Out of Trucking for 3 Years

Hey eveyone, I have three years OTR work experience. Clean MVR no failed drug tests or anything like that. I worked for three different Van/Reefer OTR companies over the course of three years, and have been out of the truck for a year and a half at this point.

My wife and I moved overseas to take care of a fruit farm we planted on some land that we own. I am currently working towards naturalizing as a citizen of this country which will likely take a couple more years. Once I'm a citizen here, I will be able to leave the country for an indefinite period of time and can return to the USA for years without having to worry about losing my Residency here. By the time we move back to the US to look for work it will probably have been 3-4 years out of the truck. Does this mean I should budget in paying for CDL school again, or will I just have to ride along with a trainer? Do companies even do ride-alongs for local drivers? My first OTR job I had to share a truck with a senior driver for over a month.

My wife and I were considering going back to the Greenville/Spartanburg South Carolina area where we lived many years ago. We are residents of Tennessee, and I have a current TN CDL with Hazmat, Tanker, and Triples endorsements.

Would it even be possible to get a job in South Carolina if I'm a resident of Tennessee?
Is there a particular place in TN where there are lots of good local jobs that I should consider? (By local, I mean that I'm OK with a regional job as long as I get home every weekend).
If it's possible for me to work there, what other areas of the country would you recommend?

 

Yeah I lived in Reno a long time ago. Driving through NV is great! Only problem being based out of Reno is that you'd be running Donner Pass all the time. Rural Nevada is so peaceful though. Nevada is definitely tempting. Maybe somewhere like Elko. In general I like the western states. The area between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada mountains is pure bliss for trucking.

I'd consider Florida. No idea that they had lots of local jobs. For OTR they always said it was a dead zone. What do you haul in local jobs in Florida other than the obvious (food & beverage)?

I can't blame you for not wanting to move back to TN. I wouldn't want to get a local job there. The state is way too crowded. It is actually probably my overall least favorite state to drive in. The interstates are always a pain there.

South Dakota is nice. It gets a bad reputation for being too cold, but the snow is usually dry and dusty.

 

El Paso, Also an interesting place.

 

Actually Memphis was what I was thinking for Tennessee. I like the North-South routes through there, but I don't much care for the route from Memphis - Dallas, which is what I assume you'd be doing a lot if based out of there. Do you find Memphis' bad reputation justified?