Cost to run hotshot truck

Thanks so much for the information. That is very helpful. What service/load board do you use to get your loads?

 

I agree with getting started with what you have. Most of my runs are day trips and back home every night. The problem I ran into when I first started was the with a smaller trailer pretty much everything that could fit is considered a partial load which in return means partial pay.

Most everything I haul is considered a full load and pays as such. It's just my .02 that I think the OP will quickly find out that the loads that are available to him with his current setup are going to be far and few between.

 

I've tried several, but I've stuck with Internet Truckstop because it works for me. I can sort postings into an order that puts almost all my potential loads up front. Or I can sort it so that it shows new postings as they happen so that I can call on a load as soon as it hits the board. I don't use all the features available, so it's very affordable.

When I get a load, I can also look at loads coming out of the area to which I'm hauling to try and find a backhaul. I may train my wife to use the board so that she can work to find me trips while I'm out. Once in awhile I end up with a nasty deadhead just because I didn't have time to do all the research on potential loads coming back.

Last week I took a double load from Ohio to North Dakota - one to Fargo and the other to Minot. It paid well enough that the 1300 mile deadhead back was still worth it. If I'd had someone to get me a backhaul, though, it could have been much more profitable. Internet Truckstop is the only board I've found that's flexible enough to work with this way.

 

I heard that a flat trailer is the way to go that way you can haul cars and anything else. Any suggestions?

 

If a flatbed trailer is what your talking about then yes there versatile

 

Yes that's what I'm talking about. Thanks

 

How hard is it to get loads yourself? Without using a broker, my wife doesn't work so she could probably do that for me.

 

Without a broker it can be very difficult. You want to make as many broker connections as possible. There's a lot of good brokers out there.

 

Is this thread still active? About to get into the industry in the Pittsburgh area and had some questions

 

Ask away thread is very much active.