Experienced going back to otr..Advive

I would leave the State of California, but not for the reasons you listed. That State is just screwed up entirely.

Lots of OTR companies want to see 1 yr in last 3 driving OTR.

Not sure what you are looking for, but, your options could be somewhat limited by not driving OTR.

 

Danny Herman Trucking has a terminal in Calexico,CA and you can take your pet.
Their freight routes give you a chance to live in states with no personal income taxes also, if you move from California. Most of their freight is below I-40 and they don't run Northeast.
Lots of Texas and Tennessee; they're headquartered in Mountain City,TN.

 

Not sure what you are looking for in a nother State, but, I'd look for one that has a reasonable low cost of living. Texas doesn't have a State Income Tax, but their property taxes make up for that...as they have pretty high property taxes.

Make a list of what you want, and what you don't want, and research cities/states.

Just like researching for a job.

 

Here's some more that will probably hire you and can take the dog:
Butler Transport - APU
Eagle KMC Transportation
May Trucking Co.
Southern Refrigerated Transport
Titan Transfer - APU
KKW Trucking
Holland Enterprises Inc. - APU
Abilene Motor Express
Navajo Express - APU
Schuster - APU
Western Express
Melton Truck Lines - APU
Recommend choosing a company with APU since you'll have the dog with you. APU is "auxillary power unit" which is similar to an RV with a generator. When the truck engine is shut off, you turn on the APU and have power for air conditioning, heat, television, refrigerator, computer, cooking, etc. Some companies have little idle time allowed and some cities, municipalities, etc. don't allow trucks to idle.

Do some online apps. then follow up with a phone call.

 

Second Texas is very high on taxes in one form or another.

You can join any company anywhere in the USA and whatever that Company's HQ address is or.. in case of many shop locations, the nearest your home address is the one you are assigned to. Your taxes are withheld to California levels event though it might be in a no tax state like South Dakota.

There is no real safety bonus, the actual bonus is getting to stay in the truck and not getting fired because you did not hit anything or anyone your first year or three.

.44 aint too bad, but it's a bit below what I consider newbie pay at .50 Keep in mind I started off either at 25% of revenue or .20-.25 a mile somewhere in there way back in the 80's then again meals in full was 4.50 and coffee a quarter. Now it's 20 dollars and two for your cup and 5 for your thermos. Experienced drivers should make .75 to themselves. But we are not there yet.

I have not had too much trouble in california excepting one particular sweetheart who turned ##### in about a hour at a inspection site about 20 minutes SE of the San Francisco Bay Bridge in what I consider to be a very carefully built facility between trucks loading here and truckstops, fuel and food over there. It's crafty. Sneaky. Devious. But anyhow... once I stood my ground with her explaining essentially going over each mile traveled from loading to the DOT scale we were standing in, she tossed her head and says I know dam well how many miles it's takes you to get here. (*And about how many more miles it will take ... aww never mind...)

If I pick and choose where I go to live in the USA Arkansas is right up there. However knowing myself I will end up somewhere near a tiny hollow called Harpers Ferry WVa It's really hard to get to, really far from anywhere to walk to anywhere and very quiet. Hardly any taxes to speak of. Did I mention Arkansas is still home? You can pick up a home here on homestead act for around 50K purchase, 350 dollar annual proptax bill and no emissions or any of that crap. Tags are either 28 dollars or 33 depending on how heavy you are each year. There are many oppertunities in this State if you are careful and many people are.

 

@x1Heavy - more information about Arkansas:
JONESBORO, Ark. — Officials in an Arkansas county have a plea for courthouse visitors: Please stop urinating in our elevator.
Craighead County officials hope new security cameras will deter the steady stream of culprits who have been relieving themselves in the courthouse elevator in Jonesboro, a college town about 115 miles northeast of Little Rock.
Maintenance workers say the problem has persisted for years – even though the restrooms are only about 25 feet from the elevator.

Officials say that the cameras, installed last fall, have caught three men and seven women in the act, one of whom has been cited for disorderly conduct and fined $105. Another instance was recorded Monday, and county officials say they plan to issue a citation.

In Arkansas they shave their Husky dogs during the hot summer months.

 

Im not aware of the dog being shaved like that. That borders on abuse.

As far as the elevator peeing etc. They brought it on themselves. Just like truckers too lazy to walk 100 feet to the little boys or girls room. And toss the bottle all over the USA.

Jonesboro is a little bit more.. backwards than most of the rest of the state. There are large areas of Arkansas that can use some attention, Pine bluff being one... With that said, there are parts of this state that are pretty good.

I'll not try to defend the peeing, these people were raised to know better and frankly they need to go on record and pay the fines against them for that sort of thing. Those elevators are good to the last drop and we don't need to be doing any more to accelerate that day.