If your going to commute (as other have said, not recommended) look at options that are a pain but will do the job and unload the stress off your back. Example: I commuted at a regional from FL to ORD. Rather than dealing with fighting for the one jumpseat on an oversold plane with 5 other pilots willing to death match with you heading to ORD, I didn’t bother and went to MDW on AirTran at the time or SW then got a coffee at the MDW train station and sat on the train for an hr to ORD.

It added a little over an hour to the commute but it was zero stress as those flights always had room and AirTran always took care of me in business class.

Yes, it’s a PITA but you have to do that sometimes. If it sounds like not your cup of tea, and it’s not to many, you need to move or pick another airline where your car is waiting for you the same place you park the plane at the end of duty.

I now work for a major in my home town and my drive to work is 4.5 miles garage to parking space. I will NEVER go back to commuting again, I would literally leave the industry. I did the commute for a long time and let me tell you it will hurt your body, family, and your mind. My doctor, no joke, was amazed at my overall health improvement when I started being home based.