What's up with companies not hiring from California?

The only thing I can think of is some companies don't run in California and because they don't have freight lanes in California, they won't hire from there. @Chinatown will be around soon, leave some suggestions, he might want to know what part of California you live in.

 

Your last sentence answers your own question.

Why not put more focus on where you can go, and less focus on where you cannot?

The answers you seek are political in nature and have much to do with punitive taxes and burdensome regulations that various companies are forced to comply with. Some companies won't tolerate such nonsense and may choose not to do business in California since California goes out of it's way to run more like a fiefdom.

Just keep your eyes on the prize. The prize being trucking experience. And the more trucking experience that you acquired, the more opportunities will become available.

 

since California is a different country. you need a work permit lol

 

I made a phone call early this morning to a guy I know that runs operations for a 1000+ unit fleet. I asked him about California. What he told me was California runs was only for (code red) accounts. He can't keep drivers on those runs because drivers are with California like they are NYC. I asked him what he defined as (code red) he said good money accounts that pay on time that are not happy with our service. He makes runs up into the Bay area, An area near Bakersfield and Barstow and then down into the LA basin. That's it. From what I understand it costs a good bit of cash to operate in California and these days sometimes that money is not getting returns. The DOT officers are almost fascist in how they operate. I'm trying to stay away from politics, but I'm afraid that the only good answer is political.

I love the state of California, I spent almost 5 years there back in the 70s stationed at Edwards AFB. Some of the nicest people I have met still live there. In fact, I came very close to marrying a gal from Palmdale. I just think the political and regulatory climate there has got very rough and some people had rather stay away. Things like that 55 MPH speed limit out in the open areas of I 10 to me does not make any sense. If I were still driving I would take a run there today. The sad fact is more and more drivers will avoid it and make career changes if they have to. This alters freight lanes and can cause residents like the OP to lose driving opportunities because of it.

 

I remember a few companies that quit hiring California licensed drivers due to the state making demands on how their pay structure should be set up. Companies don't want a bunch of politicians meddling in the internal affairs of a business model that's already proven to work well for the company and the drivers.
California politicians can't do anything if the drivers are licensed in other states.
Three New California Laws Affecting Trucking Companies ...
https://www.larsongaston.com/blog/2015/11/three-new-california...
Three New California Laws Affecting Trucking Companies, Part 1: AB 1513. ... The new law also has certain technical adjustments to this pay structure based on how often employees are paid and there is a limited phase-in period for certain publicly-traded companies. ... Three New California Laws Affecting Trucking Companies, Part 3: AB 621 ...

 

You jogged my memory on this one. I remember reading about it in a trucker paper. This over time most likely is going to cost some California based truck drivers their jobs.

 

Unfortunately, this is making hiring California drivers very unattractive to companies. This combined with their new ruling making OO's employees is going to definitely change the way business is done with that state. Unfortunately, it's the working stiff that pays the price. Aint socialism grand?

 

1st) it is NOT socialism! If you or anybody disagree with or want to debate these new laws. Fine let's do that, but let' start by being honest up front.
2nd) Love or hate them, those new laws are for the drivers benefit. So its almost natural companies won't like them.
3rd) Drivers have become sheep and drink he cool aid. Companies preach it and drivers suck it up. Another example of this is the majority anti union attitude among drivers. Yet when the teamsters were string ALL drivers had good pat and benefits. Some cause thier company was union. Others because thier company paid them well, to keep the incentive to unionize down.