Is this abandonment?

I went through almost the exact same scenario in October.
Was with a company in Montana for 12 years.
The company got bought out and the new owner new nothing about trucking.
He was some number cruncher from Spokane.
I gave my notice, three weeks.
After I delivered my last load, I was 27 miles from my house.
Everyone new I was going home to clean out the truck before heading back to Montana.
He refused to pay me for the three loads until I brought the truck back.
I told him to pay me what he owed me since payday had already come and gone but he refused.
I already had another job, so since he refused to pay me I told him to come to California and pick up his #÷%&×$\ truck.
I then contacted the Montana labor division and they went after him.
They made him pay me.
He tried to charge me for the recovery of the truck by reducing the amount he owed me, but the state of Montana through the brick at him.
They cannot under law charge me with the recovery.
Had he paid me the 1800 he owed me he would have got his truck back no problem.
Instead, it wound up costing him the 1800 plus 700 in penalties for trying to charge me for the recovery
He was also under the gun, because if he did not have the full 2500 to me by the 19th of November, the state of Montana was going to assess him another 55% penalty.
So I not only got the 2500 but Montana left the case open until they got verification from the bank that the checks had cleared.
If your dealing with a company in California, California is one of those states that will throw the book at a company trying to screw an employee and their even harsher on their resolutions compared to my dealings with Montana.