Pick up truck pulling loads on a flatbed.. what's the story with that?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by freightwipper, Sep 29, 2014.

  1. freightwipper

    freightwipper Road Train Member

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    I've seen a few of these going down the road.. they appear to be O/Os as why I'm posting here.
    So what's the story on that?
    Is there good money to be made by doing that? By having a heavy duty pick up truck pulling flatbed loads?
    Most weight you can pull including the trailer is probably around 30k.
     
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  3. skateboardman

    skateboardman Road Train Member

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    they are called hotshots
     
  4. freightwipper

    freightwipper Road Train Member

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    oh, that's the first time I ever even heard that term before
     
  5. ShooterK2

    ShooterK2 Road Train Member

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    They are very common around here (oilfield country). I think (I could be wrong on this) they can haul around 26,000 lbs. Yes, there is good money to be made doing that, BUT, what turns most people off is the fact that hotshots are pretty much on 24-hr call (logbook or not....) and are always expected to be ready to take a load IMMEDIATELY. That's why they are called hotshots (hot loads all the time). Usually some drilling tool that a rig needs right away. Lots of times it isn't heavy. It just has to get there NOW. Oh, and the DOT just LOOOOOVES messing with them as well. They can almost always find several things wrong, and generate some all-important revenue for the state.

    These are the reasons the job pays so well.

    I've thought about doing it myself, but what always stops me is the way I see these guys going through trucks. I mean, they can take a brand new 1-ton diesel (take your pick) and have it wore out in just a couple of years. Have you priced these trucks lately!? Not to mention all the maintenance along the way. Not to mention the fact that, like I said, the DOT is always waiting for these guys.

    Now, that's how it is around here, in oilfield country. Other areas may be completely different. I've seen these guys in other areas hauling cars and other freight with a 1-ton, so that is obviously a different ball game. And, some companies will be better than others (no different than big rig trucking), so take this post for what it's worth: not much. :biggrin_25523:
     
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  6. 8ballexpress

    8ballexpress Bobtail Member

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    I ran a 'light weight freight' truck for two years. The most I could get on the trailer was 40' and 17K#. Usually a piece of machinery, pallet racking, ag equipment, truck bodies, farm tractors, or whatever. It was always a piece going here, a piece going there. Problem with that is that rarely would two or three items drop close to each other. More like a hundred or two miles apart. And if you couldn't fill out the trailer, 2 different 17' parcels would leave 6' or so of unused deckspace, and finding something to fit that was going my way was rare. I was however able to get cars on my trailer very easily and that sometimes made or broke the trip.
    I had a crew cab Ford (not a diesel) and would sleep in the back seat one or two nights a week. I'm 6'1" and it really didn't work well. Some guys are now running 450/4500 trucks and adding a small sleeper to keep the motel bills down. I ran two years like this, doing about 75K miles each year. Most 1 tons will last 3 to 4 years if you don't beat it to death and work at keeping it running properly (I'm a former dealer tech so it was second nature to me) but just as soon as the payment ends you need a new truck. My gasser V10 got 6-7 mpg and the diesel guys I've talked to have been getting 9-10 mpg. Maintenance and repairs are much easier to handle on the road as there are far more car dealers than HD truck dealers. The trailers most guys use need to have brakes and bearings every year. Tires last about 50K on the trailer and 60K on the truck, but they don't cost $450 each!
    The fun part for me was taking small pieces of freight to places and people that a big rig would almost never see. I've delivered to farmers, small businesses, and sometimes right to a residence! It was interesting to travel the back roads and see something other than the interstate all day. BTW, there are still plenty of greasy spoon restaurants out there waiting for you.
    It's a doable deal and it was a bucket list thing for me. But I want to go back to it with a little different twist. While the LTL thing was cool and somewhat interesting, I'm looking to do more full loads this time. A little bigger truck and trailer, but not too big to be able to do some back roads cruising. A m/d Freightliner with a small sleeper, and a goose neck trailer modified into a real 48' step deck is my goal this time. Full load capability and small truck maneuverability.
    PM me and I will give you some links to find more info.
     
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  7. Passin Thru

    Passin Thru Road Train Member

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    I did it in OK, TX, NM and KS. We drove like mad, DOT left us alone and you run ety most of the time but get a real Hotshot, say a part worth $300,000 and the rig is down running OKC to Houston paid incredible. You could'nt stop to eat anything in 8 hrs except while fuel was pumping in.
     
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  8. freightwipper

    freightwipper Road Train Member

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    I know it sounds very unpredictable but the cost of running a heavy duty pick up is a lot less than a semi.
    When you guys did it what kind of money can be earned?
     
  9. Skate-Board

    Skate-Board Road Train Member

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    I ran into a guy hauling a 40' trailer with a real nice diesel dually. I talked to him for about an hour and he averages about $2.00 a mile and I was floored but after reading 8ballexpress post I guess it makes sense. Sounds like everything takes a beating. I see some of those guys passing me on a hill and that freaking engine is just screaming
     
  10. Studebaker Hawk

    Studebaker Hawk Road Train Member

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    When someone quotes"$2.00 a mile" avg, he is leaving out some important information. $2 a loaded mile with 30% unpaid deadhead is a very different equation.
    The RV companies in Elkhart are advertising $1.60 a loaded mile, power only. But convieniently forget to mention the 50% unpaid bobtail miles.
     
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  11. barroll

    barroll Road Train Member

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    Go read the hotshot forums. A lot of them have expenses just as high as running a class 8, and anything they can haul can just as easily go on a 48' step deck. I get loaded at the same place as hotshots from time to time, and I wish I could say I was joking when half of them were on the shoulder with their hoods up going down the road. I ended up beating all 4 of them to the consignee even though I got loaded last before making that 450 mile run, and I wasn't even in a hurry to get there.
     
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