Alabamato
Maine, Truck driverMoving from Alabama to Maine as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Alabama has to do to work in Maine, what the move does to your pay, and who in Maine is hiring from out of state.
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Maine resident you surrender the Alabama CDL at a Maine driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in Maine. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Maine takes roughly $903 a year more than Alabama does.
| Salary | Alabama state tax | Maine state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,400 | $2,002 | -$602 |
| $60,000 | $2,100 | $3,003 | -$903 |
| $90,000 | $3,150 | $4,505 | -$1,355 |
Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Alabama to Maine
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Alabama certificate stays on the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry (Alabama Department of Public Health); to work in Maine you apply to the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: Alabama to Maine
Works on day one. Both Alabama and Maine are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Alabama is valid in Maine the day you arrive. Once Maine is your primary residence, apply there for a Maine multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Alabama to Maine
Reciprocity likely. Maine licenses electricians at state level through the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, and Maine reciprocates with New Hampshire, Vermont and a few other states for journeymen. Your Alabama licence comes from the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
Does Maine pay you to come?
- Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit: up to $2,500 a year against Maine income tax. For workers living and paying off student loans in Maine.
Going the other way? Alabama has Remote Shoals. See moving from Maine to Alabama.
Openings filed in Maine
10 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Maine employers who could not fill them locally.
- HOUSEKEEPERDRAPERS HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT INC · SOUTH PORTLAND · $19.35/hr
- Maple Tree Tapper, Farm LaborerMaple Ridge Sugarbush, Inc. · Somerset County · $18.83/hr
- Maple tree tapper, farm laborerRPDM Sugar Camp, Inc. · Somerset County · $15.1/hr
- Relationship Banker - Maine MarketBank of America · Portland
- (USA) Pharmacy Tech Certified Sam'sWalmart · Portland
- IDI Billing Experience ConsultantUnum Group · Portland
Your own route from Alabama to Maine
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CNA: Alabama to Maine · RN or LPN: Alabama to Maine · Electrician: Alabama to Maine · All licences: Alabama to Maine
From Alabama to the states next to Maine
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