looking to relocate and buy a truck

[all18wheels]

im done with california. looking toward the midwest. I.E. iowa, colorado, idaho. etc.
I currently do flatbed and RGN work. been driving 1 year.
id like to find a spot where i can be an O/O doing local, semilocal and linehaul. maybe hauling rebar, structural steel, lumber or something like that.
id like to find an area that has good steady work for an O/O and cost of living that isnt ridiculous.

i know this sounds like a "join the club" kind of question. im sure alot of people would like to jump on an ideal situation like this.
but, im willing to relocate just about anywhere to build a business. i just want to know where

any tips?

[tweety bird]

If that's the kind of work you want to do, I'd suggest locating somewhere around Michigan. I'm speaking from a complete lack of knowledge, but I have it in my head that steel and Detroit go together.

Other than that, there are a TON of trucking companies in Ohio and Indiana. A ton. Whether they pay an O/O worth a damn, I don't know. But there are a ton.

Mainly I'm just posting this to give it a bump since no one else replied

[GMAN]

There are a number of steel haulers who run out of the Chicago/Gary area to the Detroit area. If you plan on staying with an RGN then you may want to get in touch with some of the equipment rental companies. Most of them have their own equipment for local runs. Others use carriers for some runs. You can find equipment rental companies just about anywhere. The cost of living will certainly be much less in the middle of the country than where you currently reside. If you want to lease to a carrier I would check with Keene, ATS and a few of the other carriers who use RGN's and open trailers before making your move so that you know you have a good job lined up. There is a lot of RGN freight coming out of certain parts of Iowa, such as around Waterloo.