I have a 1ton ready to roll

The first thing you need to know about getting into hot shot trucking is that there is too much time, effort, and money required for it to be a part-time gig.

The second thing is that you need a CDL.

If you already have that, I can go on down the list, but the next item would be to tell you honestly that your Ford is not a hot shot truck, and using it on anything but very light loads would tear it up. Many companies who use hot shots will no longer hire you with a Ford truck. They want us to run Dodges.

If I haven't already discouraged you, (and I hope I haven't, just being straight up with you) I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.

 

I do not understand why the make of the vehicle is important? Ford vs Dodge? Is it because the engine spec that needs to satisfied? How about rears and tranny? I have seen some websites where there is a 1 ton truck hauling a fifth wheel. But for Hotshotting does the truck need to be bigger than a 1 ton? Such as a Pete or a KW?? I am really clueless since this is new to me too! Thanx for you advice and I am looking forward to learning more about this.

 

I had the same questions when I started and I'm happy to share what info I have.

As it turns out, the Dodge trucks hold up better under the hauling conditions doing hot shot work. I know the engines in the Dodge trucks are the choice of most hot shotters, and that was what I was told when I started looking into it. As to the rears and trannies, unless you go up to the 4500 or 5500, there will be some problems due to some of the heavy loads we haul which are probably honestly too much for the 3500 to handle on a steady basis. Just breaks them down.

Most of us pull gooseneck flat float trailers. I started with a 40' but found that was attracting a lot of lower paying freight and not as much real hot shot stuff. I finally got a 20' and have been actually doing better with it rate-wise. Go figure!

Most hot shots in this area run the 3500s and rebuild their rear ends after a couple of years, and a lot of them have tranny trouble. But even with those issues they still hold up longer than a Ford.

Anyway, I tend to believe the Dodge 5500 cab & chassis is the best bet. (It's a 2-ton) When I was truck shopping I compared the 3500 side by side with the 4500 and 5500. The whole frame, drive train, springs, everything is beefier on the bigger trucks so I went with the 5500. The downside of that is that the 5500 doesn't get as good of fuel mileage as the 3500, but should come out ahead due to less needed repairs over time.

I've heard that some people do hot shot work with a tractor, but I haven't seen that much around here. I don't see why you couldn't do it, but then again it might be a little overkill on most hot shot loads. And the fuel mileage would make it less profitable to run as a hot shot rig than a little truck.

Doing hot shot, I'm pretty much on call and just get there quick to pick up hot loads, then get them where they're going and come right back. I don't worry about getting loads coming back. My customers expect me back and ready to run asap. Or they send me out to pick up whatever they need brought back to them.

Some weeks I run 7 days in a row, other weeks I don't run a mile. Either way, it's definitely not steady work like the big trucks get, but the pay makes up for not running every day.

 

Not disputing the "Ford power-stroke sucks" aspect but I am disputing that the Dodge/cummins is the only way to go. I'll put my 2011 GMC 3500 Duramax/Allison rig up against any 3500 series out there.

 

Well, I don't know a thing at all about GMC's except I test drove one about 20 years ago and right there on the lot, the brand new thing refused to start, and I haven't looked at one since then.

I do know I haven't seen a single Chevy or GMC out here hot shotting, but who knows? You might start a new trend!

 

Thank you SMBdriver!! What load boards do you use?

 

The short answer is, I don't.

I did try just about all of them, and all of them claim to have hot shot freight...

but as it turns out, their idea of hot shot freight is just low paying LTL stuff that isn't usually worth messing with. I talked to the people at all of them and they say "we're trying to get more and better freight" but it hasn't materialized yet.

 

I will second SMB that dodge 5500 is the way to go, or atleast an f550, 3500 series trucks cant take the brutal abuse that hotshotting (especially to the well sites) will put a truck through.

 

I've always wondered why more hot-shots don't use a class 8 and remove one axle and bob the frame? Get an older F/L or I-H with a 60 seires and a 9 or 10 speed and you would never wear it out. I drive a TT twin screw and pull a 53' and still get 7.6MPG and that's with out trying.
Plus as a side note you'd have a sleeper to sleep in instead of the front seat and you can pick up a class 8 with 750,000miles cheap